Tell Me You Love Me
by Rokstar
Summary: At 16, she thought he was the love of her life but things changed. Now she hates him with a passion. Will they ever be together?
1. Chapter 1

**My first fanfic on Ichiruki. I hope you like it. Please review; it will be very much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo**

**Rated: T**

**Tell Me You Love Me**

**Prologue**

The hallway was surrounded by onlookers as they gazed at the scene before them. Kuchiki Rukia stood there unable to believe what she was seeing. She was the centre of attention here, the drama unfolding before her was entertainment for the crowd.

She stood ram-rod straight as she looked at her boyfriend who stood close to her best friend since kindergarten. She could not believe her eyes. Were the rumours true?

No…. she wouldn't believe it until she heard it from her boyfriend's own mouth. And hear it, she will.

She was desperately trying to ignore the crowd of faces around her which also included all of her other friends and classmates. They looked at her with worried expressions which she didn't want to see any more than the almost excited faces of the others, mostly girls.

"Is it true?" she asked her orange-haired brown-eyed boyfriend.

Kurosaki Ichigo looked back at her with something close to mirth in his eyes. His mouth curled into a smirk that complimented his expression. "Yeah, it's true. We slept together," he declared, putting an arm around Rukia's best friend, Orihime. Said best friend, blushed furiously at his words while trying to look most apologetic. It didn't work on Rukia.

The onlookers gasped at his words, not to mention her friends who looked at Ichigo in stunned disbelief.

Rukia… felt the ground beneath her feet leave her the second he had said, "Yeah". She could not comprehend how she was still standing for her entire body felt numb. She started trembling, tears threatening to form in her eyes.

_I will not cry… not here… never here…_

She took a few tentative steps toward him and her. She didn't know what exactly they saw in her eyes but Orihime flinched when she got closer to them and he stiffened, as though trying to keep his emotions in check.

"R-Ru-Rukia-chan - ," started Orihime, shaking visibly from head to toe.

"We're done," Rukia said, cuttingly, in a voice that was so cold it made even the most excited onlookers flinch.

"That's it," she said, looking Ichigo straight in the eyes.

"Fine," he conceded, for he was seething in anger as he looked at her.

But she was already shaking her head back and forth, her eyes not leaving his.

"Don't ever speak to me again," she said, in a low soft voice that sent chills down everyone's spine, especially Ichigo's.

"_Ever…_" she said.

There was nothing that Ichigo could say or do after that, for the last sentence still hadn't registered in his mind. He just stood there, shocked.

With one last look at him, she turned around and walked away.

She didn't come to school after that and within a week, her brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, had made arrangements for a Transfer Certificate from the school. She had moved away before anyone could do or say anything about it.

She never went back again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you sooooo much for the reviews!**

**Round and round we go, Onepiecex3, Iamdeathberry, Zangetsu50, DeviantHollow23, KeaRy anCe, and Blissbeat!**

**That was just the prologue for the story. I'll update more chapters soon. Hope you like this one.**

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T (may change later)**

**Word of caution Ichiruki fans, this story contains IchigoxInoue and RukiaxShuuhei as well as other pairings. But the drama is all Ichiruki. So bear with me, this story was inspired by random cheesy Bollywood movies. So, enjoy the fluff and some OOCness in the case of Shuuhei.**

**Chapter 1**

**Calls**

"_Fuck!"_

Kuchiki Rukia opened her eyes.

That same dream again… or was it a nightmare? At least, it was something that happened in the past. Nothing to worry about at present, is there?

She sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She couldn't believe she was still having dreams about that wretched day. Seven years had already passed and yet she still hadn't gotten over it. Urgh! She felt as though her entire day was ruined.

_Get a grip Rukia…_ she berated herself.

She glanced at the alarm clock.

Shit! It was way too early for her to be up. _5 fucking am?_ No way.

"Goddamn it!" she cried as she practically jumped out of bed. She knew she could never go back to sleep after dreaming about one of the worst days of her life.

She straightened out her mattress and sheets, tucking them neatly into the bed. Sighing, she sat down on the bed. Her head felt hazy and she felt… heavy… as though she had relived that day all over again. Burying her head in her hands with her elbows on her knees, she felt a sudden urge to cry; to just cry as the "heavy" feeling engulfed her.

"That's it," she said, standing up. It was too early in the morning for her to be feeling like this, or feeling anything at all. She just had to distract herself.

"Good morning, nee-chan," she said, to the small framed photograph of a young woman who looked very much like her, that stood on the bedstead. Her day started with that greeting. Today, it hadn't. She huffed in anger.

She went into her closet and threw off her pyjamas and put on a pair of running shorts and a cotton tee along with a pair of RBK's and also took her ipod. She was ready and out of the door in seconds.

She strapped her ipod onto her arm and plugged in the earphone from behind. She took off on her jog while "Muse's" "Super-massive black hole" started thundering in her ears. She had always preferred rock music as a pick-me-up. She sure as hell needed one if was going to get through today.

Tokyo was a very interesting city to Rukia for she felt it was like her; restless and always busy. There was never a moment of relaxation as it kept up its bustling activity. It trudged on not caring for anything in particular. That was what she felt like every day for the seven years that she had lived here with her brother.

She jogged through the park, enjoying the rock music from different musicians of all the eras she liked. Now, it was Red Hot Chilli Peppers' "Dani California" that she was listening to. Already people were on the streets going about their business.

She looked at her wrist watch and realised that it was close to 6:30 am. _Damn! Had she been running for so long?_

She headed back home, as her mind settled to a dull calm. The music had helped and she felt a little energized from the exercise. She went straight to the bathroom and hit the shower. Later, she took her time in getting dressed and headed downstairs where she knew her brother would be waiting for her, dressed and ready for the office.

"Nii-sama" she greeted the figure of her brother who was seated at the dining table, in a black suit. She didn't feel like saying "Good morning" when it was anything but for her.

"Rukia," he replied, looking at her petite frame. "You were out running today?" he asked as she seated herself opposite to him.

"I got up earlier than necessary," she said, steadily looking at him. He always like that about her, she always looked people directly in the eyes when she spoke to them. It reflected something more than just confidence in her; it made him smile on the inside.

"I will be home late today," he told her as a maid placed their breakfast dishes on the table. They started to serve themselves.

"I'll be heading to the library so I'll be late for office today," she told him. She worked part-time at her brother's company to earn some extra cash because he would not allow her to work anywhere else.

"Alright" he said.

After finishing her breakfast, she grabbed her bag and Blackberry and was about to leave when it started raining. Byakuya had already left so she couldn't hitch a ride with him. Her face showed so much anger that the maid who brought her an umbrella thought she would probably start breathing fire if tampered with. So, she silently handed her the object and scampered back into the house.

_I hate the rain! I hate the goddamned rain!_

The rain poured down on her like upturned buckets of water, while she held onto the umbrella against the fierce wind. Could this day possibly get any worse? Obviously it can.

Miraculously, she reached her destination, the B-School, and headed straight for the café kiosk, which thankfully was open. She bought herself a steaming cup of coffee and was about to drink it when her Blackberry rang. A message flashed on the screen.

"_Hey, won't make it today. Have business to take care of. Will see you tomorrow."_

She groaned as she read it. _Shuuhei…_

There was no one more she wanted to see than Shuuhei today and he wasn't going to make it. She considered just giving up and going back home. But Byakuya wouldn't like that and she didn't want to be alone with her thoughts.

This day just keeps getting worse!

Classes started at eight and it was still seven thirty. She stood in the shelter of the Kiosk, clutching the warm coffee cup in her cold hands and stared as the rain pounded on the ground.

In a bizarre way, it felt like the personification of her inner self; dark, dreary and pouring rain. Her mind started to wander.

_How long has it been since I was with my old friends? How long has it been since I saw them? Will I ever see them again? _

Renji, Momo, Izuru, Tatsuki, Uryuu and Chad… She was part of a gang of friends who seemed inseparable. There were two other people whom she pretended didn't exist but quite simply put, those were the best times of her life. Things had fallen apart in an instant and their lives had never been the same.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her Blackberry ringing once again. She glanced at the screen and smiled. It was Momo. Even though she had moved to another city, Momo had mailed her a few days later, and begged her to come back. But Rukia wouldn't listen, no matter what and Momo didn't persist. She knew the reason why Rukia moved, so fearing that Rukia might cut off all communications altogether, kept in touch occasionally. Like that, they would fill in each other about their lives and also the lives of her "still" friends. It was her only source of happiness to know that her friends were doing well and were missing her.

"Hello?" said Rukia, already happy about the call.

"Rukia, hey," said Momo's sweet voice, "I hope I didn't catch you on your way to school."

"Nah, I got here a while ago," answered Rukia.

"Good, I was hoping to catch you at a good time," said Momo who sounded very excited to Rukia.

"What is it? You sound very hyper and I _know_ you're not a morning person," said Rukia, playfully.

"What? I'm hyper? Hmmm, well, maybe because it's because I've got some really good news," said Momo, speaking the last few words out in a rush.

"Good news?"

Rukia waited. _"Izuru proposed! And I said yes!"_ came the loud cry.

"_What?_" Rukia screamed, making students passing by to look at her in annoyance.

"Oh! It was the most beautiful proposal. I can't wait to tell you all about it!" she squealed.

"Jeez, Momo, I can't believe this! Two of my best friends are getting married!"

"I know… I can't believe it myself. We haven't fixed a date or anything but Rukia, we both want you to come to the wedding."

Rukia froze; her grip tightened on the phone.

Momo continued sensing her silence, "I know you don't want to come back, I do… but I want all of my friends at my wedding." Still, there was no answer. "Please…" she whispered.

Rukia, for the life of her, did not know what to say. Go to the wedding? Of course she would love to go; in fact she _wanted_ to go. But that would mean coming face-to-face with people she pretended don't exist; two sorry faces she never wanted to see, ever again.

Momo was patiently waiting for an answer. Rukia spoke, "Can you at least let me think about it?"

"Then, you're not saying no…"

"I'm not saying no."

"Great, then I'll call you later."

"Yeah…"

"Rukia, thank you," Momo said. Rukia could hear the sincerity in her voice. Rukia cringed at that.

"Congrats, once again, Momo," she said rather hastily, "Tell Izuru as well."

"I will. Bye."

She, most definitely, would refuse to go; make up some excuse so as to avoid it completely. It was a cowardly and despicable act, but the truth was, she didn't want to dig up the past again. She was moving on, slowly, yes, but moving on nonetheless. She didn't want to lose the peace of mind she had struggled to achieve for so long.

Great… she had lied to her friend. This day had _officially_ gotten worse_._

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Karakura Town<strong>

Momo entered the small café named "Barista", their usual hangout and found her friends sitting at their usual corner booth. Her friends present included: Tatsuki, Renji, Uryu, Chad and Izuru, now her fiancé. She blushed at the word and the memories from the previous night which had started out romantic but had ended rather - _hotly_.

They looked up at her as she came in. She gave Izuru a chaste kiss and squeezed down next to him in the crowded booth.

"I told Rukia," she announced to her friends. And as she expected, they all froze.

Momo could speak freely because Ichigo and Orihime were out on a date. She wouldn't mention Rukia's name at all if they were present here.

"And?" asked Tatsuki impatiently. They _all _looked impatient.

"And she congratulated us and I said she had to come for the wedding," said Momo in a single breath.

Tatsuki looked about ready to strangle someone. "Again_… And?_" she yelled.

Momo rolled her eyes, undeterred by her murderous expression. "She wants to think about it."

"That's good, right?" Renji asked the group.

"I don't know, I wouldn't come back here if it was me," said Chad in his deep voice. This surprised everyone. But they also silently agreed with him.

"What does Kurosaki think about this?" Ishida Uryu asked Momo.

"I didn't tell him or Orihime I was inviting her," she said rather guiltily.

"That's fine. Take your time and them both, okay?" said Izuru kindly, putting a hand over hers.

Momo nodded, smiling at him. She wasn't worried about telling them as much as she was afraid of bringing up unwanted memories. She was sure she had done the same with Rukia just a few minutes ago. She would never foresee a scenario where she would choose one friend over another; they were all precious to her; especially Rukia whom she had treated like a sister.

She had to figure out a way to convince Rukia to come back and tell Ichigo and Orihime about it.

She must…

* * *

><p>It was close to 9pm by the time Rukia reached the mansion that served as her home. Classes finished at 5pm but she had to spend time in the library looking up information for her assignments and had to catch a cab all the way to her brother's office building. She worked as an assistant in the Accounting department. It helped with her Master's Degree (MBA) as she was specializing in Finance.<p>

Byakuya was late as he had said he would be, so she took a hurried shower and went down for dinner. She had dinner alone and went back up to her room, ready to collapse onto her welcoming mattress. She got into bed and was about to drift off to sleep when her phone started ringing. Sighing, she grabbed her Blackberry which showed "Shuuhei calling".

She answered it. "Hey" said his voice, almost immediately.

She was so not in the mood for this. She was already pissed that he hadn't shown up for class today of all days, no matter what the reason.

Since there was no answer from her he continued, "What? Are you mad?"

"What do you think?" there was less venom in her voice than she liked.

Rukia wouldn't admit it but hearing his voice made her feel better. He could always do that to her. Just being around him or hearing his voice would instantly make her feel light-hearted, like right now. She didn't _want_ to be mad at him anymore.

_How does he do that? _

"I take it you had a rough day?" he asked. He could easily detect her mood swings.

She didn't answer. He was right but she'd rather talk to him about it in person. But he suggested the exact opposite when he said, "Alright, what happened? Talk to me."

Rukia smiled. He was trying on his "cool" voice. "Momo called," she said.

"She's your friend from Karakura, right?"

"Yeah… she and my other friend, Izuru, got engaged."

He waited. "She invited me to the wedding but that would mean going back _there_," she said, trying to make it sound like a huge problem.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, sounding very business-like.

"I… want to go," she replied, truthfully.

"Then go," he stated, simply.

"What?" she asked by his immediate and kind-of-obvious response.

"If you want to go to the bloody wedding, you go to the bloody wedding," he said, making it sound so simple.

"It's not that simple. You know that."

"What are you afraid of, Rukia?" he asked suddenly.

She was taken aback. "What the hell does that mean?"

"You don't have to be afraid of anything right? You have nothing to hide. Then I don't see what the problem is. She's your friend, and I'm sure she wants you to be there when she ties the knot. This isn't about you. Just go and come back, for her sake. I'm not asking you to forget everything or pretend like certain things never happened, but I think it will be good for you as well, if you decided to go. People change, right? Maybe you have too."

Rukia let the words slowly wash over her. She had to give him credit. He made absolute sense. It wasn't about her; it was about Momo and probably the most important day of her life. Everyone else can just go to hell.

And there were no words that could describe what it would mean to see her old gang again.

Rukia smiled. "How is it that you know what to say to me? Most of the time when people talk I just hear noise."

"I _know_ you, that's why." She could hear the smile in his voice. "So, problem solved?" he asked her.

"Yeah, it's solved."

"Alright then, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah. Bye."

_I'm going back to Karakura Town_

She didn't know when or how, but she knew that she was. Surprisingly, she felt excited. She hadn't expected that.

_I'm going to see my friends again_

With that thought, she fell asleep.

She was smiling.

_**Hope you liked it. Please review.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again for taking time to read my fic: **

**Round and round we go: Tell me about it. I like Ichigo and I like Orihime. But together, it just feels… WRONG. Hopefully I've managed to pull them off as a couple in this fic. **

**Jorie, ashezo, cAmeLkiZ4, as well. Thank you sooo much.**

**Yuyukawai: Ah-ha, although a song and dance routine would make the fic hilarious. **

**I'm really glad you all liked it. Here's another chapter. I don't like it so much but I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T (may change in future)**

**Chapter 2**

**Unexpected**

**In Karakura Town**

Kurosaki Ichigo was angry. He didn't know why, he just was. The ever-present scowl on his face seemed to have twice the force behind it, as he showered and dressed for work. He wondered at the feeling, because he could not find a single reason that would make him angry. He didn't have any bad dreams; in fact he had slept quite peacefully and was very well rested.

It wasn't a good feeling. It almost felt ominous in a way; like there was danger approaching his way. He laughed at that. He was not one to believe in premonitions. He didn't even read horoscopes! Why was he thinking such things anyway? He had no answer. He shrugged it off indifferently.

He silently ate his breakfast, enjoying the solitude.

Ichigo lived alone in a small two bedroom apartment which he had rented since he took up a job as an assistant professor at Karakura University. The job was temporary as he wished to continue studying but since it was his ambition to become a teacher, he jumped at the opportunity of teaching at the university from which he had graduated. It had long been his desire to do further studies at Tokyo University. But something held him back, and he became undecided once he graduated.

His ambitious nature dulled over time and he quite readily accepted the job offer. He found it didn't bother him quite so much as he thought it would.

Was that a good thing? He wondered.

He washed up the dishes and dried them with paper towels. He glanced at the clock; 7:20 am, plenty of time to spare. One last look in the mirror told him that he was good to go. He wore a simple white shirt that fit him well with black slacks and black dress shoes. He was undecided on a tie so he left his shirt open-collared. He looked fine, but that scowl still persisted. And he was feeling out-of-sorts.

It was maddening! Just then, his phone rang. It was Inoue Orihime, his girlfriend for the past _seven_ years. He stared at the name on his phone for a while as it continued to ring incessantly.

Inoue Orihime… she was the girl-next-door. She was sweet, kind, caring and beautiful. The past seven years had gone by fast and quite well, if he could say so himself. She was the perfect girlfriend for him in every way. Well, except for her cooking… that is if you could call it that. But other than that, she made him happy. And he was sure she was happy as well. They had been together for so long after all.

He smiled. He picked up the phone and answered it. "Ichigo-kun?" said her voice on the line.

"Isn't it about time you left off the honorifics?" he asked, exasperated, correcting her for what felt like the millionth time.

"U-Um, I'm sorry. I-I-Ichigo," she stammered, as she always did. Ichigo could almost see her blushing face as she said it.

_She was so cute when she blushed._

There was a silence not an awkward silence, more of a contented one.

"Are you in a hurry?" she asked him after a few seconds, probably waiting for the blush to die down.

"No, I have time. What is it? Is something wrong?" he asked, worried.

"No, I jus- I wanted to tell you something," she said. Ichigo frowned. She sounded scared.

He waited. "Momo-chan called me yesterday," she said. Then there was silence. Again, he waited patiently for her to continue. "She and Izuru-kun decided to call – people – from – uh… out of t-town, y-you know, f-for their wedding. So, I – I wanted to tell you, to ask you, not to get angry when Izuru-kun talks to you about it," her shaking voice stopped.

This time the silence was just – dead.

"I-Ichigo?" said Orihime's nervous voice.

"It's getting late Orihime. I'll call you later, okay?" replied his steady voice. And without waiting for an answer, he cut the call.

He _was_ getting late but instead of hurrying out of his apartment, he sank down onto his couch. He was not going anywhere. Not after he heard her say, "People from out of town". He knew exactly who the "people" were. Orihime wouldn't have sounded so frightened otherwise. He knew that "people" was singular; one person name Kuchiki Rukia.

His finger nails cut deep into his palms as the name crossed his mind. His chest tightened and he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time; a heavy crushing feeling on his chest that sent shockwaves of pain down to his fingertips. He rubbed his palms together to get the stinging sensation out of them.

So this was the ominous feeling, he thought.

"_Don't ever speak to me again… ever…"_

He cringed as the familiar words rang through him. He knew, he would never forget them, never be rid of them, for as long as he lived. Just like he could never forget the expression on her face as she said them. What he saw back then tormented him every time he thought back to that day; a pair of eyes that lost its brilliant light right before him with a broken face of someone betrayed by the one she trusted. It had felt like a knife to the heart and he just stood there, in complete shock as she walked away from him.

"_Fuck this!"_ he yelled out.

He felt so angry at himself for feeling this way. He was not supposed to be feeling anything for her; not after what she had done.

But no matter how many times he berated himself, his conscience got the best of him.

He… drove her away. In one insane moment of rage, he had driven her out of his life, out of everyone's life. She left and he never heard from her again.

All he could think back then was: _I've fucked up, big time._

He missed her. It was like having a constant ache on his side and it only grew more painful by the day. For weeks, he couldn't look his friends in the eye whenever he spoke to them.

They had all changed. His friends didn't ask him about anything partly because they knew very little about what had happened and because they knew he was hurting inside. It took him a long time to come to terms with the fact that for the little while he and Rukia were together, he had loved her and now, he would probably never see her again.

The worst thing about it was he never knew how to act around Orihime. What he did, he had done in rage and frustration. Sure, they had had sex but he didn't think even for a second that she might want to have a relationship with him. But she did. She had made it clear to him after Rukia left. And he'd accepted.

_Have you settled for the best friend instead of the woman herself?_ A sly voice inside his head asked him now.

_NO!_ He almost screamed.

_No!_

Ever since then, he was in two minds about it. One side of him was filled in absolute rage and hurt at her betrayal. The other part felt over-whelming guilt at the way he had handled the situation. However, he would never accept the guilt. His pride wouldn't allow it. In the battle between rage and guilt, rage always won.

What had Orihime said to him? Don't get angry? Well, he was _furious._ He had no reason to feel this way when he was the one who was betrayed. She had no business looking hurt when he was the one who was hurt the most; he had loved her. He had buried those emotions deep inside him for seven long years. But would he let that stand in the way of his friends' happiness?

No, not even for a second.

Let her come, he thought. _If she is okay with coming back here then so am I._ He smirked. _Won't she be surprised to see Orihime and me still together, a couple, for seven fucking long years?_

As far as he was concerned, she had hurt him and he had hurt her.

They were even.

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura Town, Café Barista, a little after 7pm<strong>

Renji, Tatsuki, Uryu, Izuru, Orihime and Ichigo were sharing a booth, waiting for Momo to arrive. She was running a little late from work, so was Chad. The atmosphere was – clouded, for no one spoke two words since Ichigo had arrived. Renji and Tatsuki appeared apprehensive but tried not to show it. Uryu looked mildly interested as if waiting for someone to say something. Izuru's face was full of anxiety as was Orihime's. She was shooting nervous glances between the café entrance and her orange-haired boyfriend. Said boyfriend was scowling like always but there was also a threatening aura around him that made him unapproachable. Orihime herself was frightened. She thought that after all this time, he would be able to put the whole messy affair behind him and move on. But the way he had dismissed her in the morning proved otherwise.

He was still hung up on Rukia, she thought, sadly. And her tension increased when she saw Momo walk in through the door.

Momo spotted them and hurried over. "Sorry I'm late," she said to them as she sat down next to her fiancé. Momo worked as an Assistant Buyer at a clothing store. "Some fool ordered a wrong shipment of clothes and I had to sort out the mess," she added, for no one said a word.

"_What?_" she asked her friends for they were all looking at her, as though waiting for something.

"Momo-chan," said Orihime, drawing her attention. "We were wondering, what did R-Rukia-c-chan say about, you know, coming to your wedding?"

It was as though the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees. Momo stiffened for a second. She did not want to have this conversation now. She just had a long day at the office and now all of her friends wanted to start a drama when she just wanted to rest.

"She didn't give me an answer yet," she said in a straight voice.

"Oh…" was what Orihime said. The rest of them had the same expressions as well.

Momo looked at the orange-haired man who sat beside her. He was staring a hole into the table and hadn't looked up once since her arrival. He didn't look pleased at all. And Orihime was practically trembling next to him but he didn't even notice.

Renji and the others were carefully avoiding each other's eyes. The tension was thick in the air. This is not what she wanted right now.

"Is – Is she doing well?" Orihime asked her.

Rukia's voice rang in her head. _Don't speak of me to them and I don't want to hear anything about them._

"I can't tell you," Momo said gently. Orihime paled a bit but she seemed to understand and nodded. Momo felt guilty. She decided to inform them regardless of what Rukia's answer might be. She thought they deserved that much faith at least. They loved Orihime and they loved Ichigo. But seeing as how their relationship had started out, they couldn't be entirely happy for them either. Not when one of the best people she had ever met was torn away from their lives.

"I'm sorr – " Orihime started to say when she was cut off by her scowling boyfriend.

"That's enough, Orihime."

It sounded like a command. Orihime thought so anyway and was instantly embarrassed by it, being in front of friends and all. She was also angry but tried not to show it. "I think I'll go back home now," she said getting up and clutching her purse. "See you later," she said glancing at them, but mostly at Ichigo.

He didn't move as she walked out of the café.

"Smooth" said Uryu sarcastically, sipping his coke.

"You shut up!" rang Ichigo's furious voice. It would have scared anyone but not Uryu. He didn't bat an eyelid.

Finishing his coke slowly, he got up and addressed Renji and Tatsuki. "Let's go guys. I think Kurosaki has gotten his panties in a bunch this time. He needs to speak to these two alone," he said, ignoring the "_Fuck you"_ look that Ichigo was giving him and gesturing towards Momo and Izuru.

Renji and Tatsuki agreed, and muttered, "See you later," and left with Uryu. Now it was just the three of them.

As soon as they were out the door, Momo spoke up, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Ichigo froze. So did Izuru.

Momo never swore. In fact, she was the one who berated them about swearing. To hear her say something like this was – _unnerving._ She was _pissed._

"W-What?" Ichigo asked, nonplussed. Izuru who was shocked initially was now silently smiling.

"Didn't you hear me?" she said, narrowing her eyes at him. It almost made him cower. All Momo wanted was some peace of mind after a hard day's work. She didn't get that.

_So, here comes the temper._

"I want Rukia at my wedding, and I will have her even if I had to drag her here all the way from Tokyo myself! And I won't take no for an answer from you either. Understand?" she asked him, in a low growl.

"U-Uh, yeah, you're choice. Whatever," he said, hastily. He had never seen Momo like this before and it was scary, to say the least.

"Good, and instead of sitting here and sulking, go and apologise to Orihime," she said, getting up and locking eyes with Ichigo. "I'll see you at home, honey," she told Izuru and walked off.

"Sorry about that," Izuru said sincerely.

"What was that?" Ichigo spluttered. "I didn't even know she was capable of being that angry."

"She is a remarkable little woman," Izuru said, swelling with pride. Ichigo snorted. "Best not let her hear you say "little"."

Izuru blanched at the thought. Recovering he said, "You're okay with it, right?"

Ichigo knew what he was talking about. "If that's what you guys want, I won't stand in the way," he said, truthfully.

"Thanks. We appreciate it."

Ichigo scoffed. He didn't like being thanked by friends. He was very late to class today but it helped him take his mind off things. When he walked into Barista, he could tell by the expressions on everyone's faces what the topic of conversation had been. It depressed him all the more when they stopped talking immediately when they saw him.

"You've moved on, right?"

Izuru's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?" Ichigo asked.

"You've moved on from everything right?" Izuru questioned him, yet again.

"Yeah… sure. I have," he lied. He was still stuck in that space and time when everything had fallen apart.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. You an Orihime have a good thing going and I'm sure Rukia-chan must be doing well. So, it might actually be good to see her again."

For some reason, everything that Izuru said felt wrong to him. And that scared him.

"I-I guess…"

Izuru smiled at him. "It'll work out for the best."

Somehow, Ichigo didn't think so.

* * *

><p><strong>Tokyo<strong>

Kuchiki Rukia made a call. It connected almost immediately.

"Rukia?" said Momo's sweet voice in surprise.

"Hey, Momo," said Rukia.

Rukia knew that Momo knew why she was calling.

She didn't want to make her wait any longer. "Just tell me the date and time," she said, in a straight voice.

For a second there was no answer. Then, a high-pitched scream nearly pierced through the phone and nearly damaged her ear.

"_Are you serious? I mean, are you absolutely sure?"_ Momo was squealing and Rukia had to hold the phone away from her ear for a while.

"I'm sure," she replied calmly.

"W-What made you agree?"

Rukia smiled. _Shuuhei…_ But she said, "I _want_ to see you get married."

"Oh, Rukia, you have no idea how happy I am right now. I'm going to tell Izuru the good news, alright?"

"Okay," said Rukia. "And Momo," she said, remembering something very important. Momo waited on the other end.

"_Can I bring a date?"_

_**Hope you like it. Please review.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Sweet Jesus! You guys make me want to write non-stop.**

**Again, thank you sooooooo much for taking time to read my fic. **

**Jorie, BathroomConcert, KawaiisStrawberryChappy, Misoso, ashezo, cAmeLkiZ4, OnepieceX3, round and round we go, pinkypinkypinky. Salaam and Namaste to u.**

**yuyukawai: Surprisingly, I haven't watched that movie (never was a fan of the leads) but you should watch the old ones(90's upto to mid 05s). Cheese fest but good cheese fests.**

**Alero1990: DOn't worry about the IchiXInoue parts. I'm just going where my thoughts take me (hopefully to Ichiruki love galore)**

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo. **

**Rated: T (May change in future)**

**And for the record, I have deprived Hisagi Shuuhei of his 69 tattoo and well as those strips he has on his face. I know they make up his signature look but I just didn't know how to explain them here. So, please bear with me.**

**Here's another chapter. **

**Tell Me You Love Me**

**Chapter 3**

**The Nice Guy**

**Tokyo**

Kuchiki Rukia's morning had started out like routine. She woke up at the right time, greeted her sister, had her bath and took her time getting dressed. Rukia chose a beautiful blue v-necked sweater that was a slightly darker shade of sky blue, with blue denim jeans and trendy sneakers. She also wore a well-fitting blue trench coat that fell to her knees. She was dressed all in blue, yes, but they matched well and there was no doubt about the fact that she looked fantastic. Her ebony-black hair fell casually to her shoulders with a single long bang that fell across her face down to her chin. She was a beautiful girl; everyone knew that, except for her. She always found fault with her looks; either her skin was too pale or her nose was too small or her lips weren't plump enough… she considered herself "not too bad but not too good either".

Well, looks just didn't matter much to her but the only thing she like about her appearance was her eyes. They were big and bright with the most wonderful shade of purple. Her sister had the exact same eyes. And they had been so full of life; at least when she had been alive.

Shaking out of her thoughts, she made her way downstairs where she saw an empty dining room. Nii-sama was never late. But since he wasn't here, she could only guess that he had already left for work.

It was confirmed by the maid who brought her breakfast. Rukia decided to try to meet him later on in the day when she was done with her office work. She always did in times like these. She loved and respected her brother and he was all she had left in the world. He felt the same way about her.

She was looking forward to today. Three days had passed since she had received the phone call from Momo saying she was engaged. Momo had asked her to come to the wedding. She would have rejected the invitation if it weren't for her best friend, her only friend here: Hisagi Shuuhei.

Last night she had informed Momo that she was ready to go back to Karakura Town to witness the union of two of her good friends.

And she won't be going alone.

Rukia wanted to take Shuuhei with her because she didn't think it was possible for her to survive the trip without him.

_Now all I have to do is ask him about it._

She wondered how he'd react to it. Would he accept and accompany her? Or would he completely reject her offer? Would she want to tell him that she had already told Momo that she'd be bringing him along with her?

_There was only one way to find out._

* * *

><p>Her feet carried her swiftly to her class. The auditorium-styled classroom three sets of seats rising steadily in a small slope. The classroom was fairly crowded but the majority of the students had yet to arrive; especially Shuuhei. He always showed up a few minutes before the allotted time.<p>

Rukia sat down on the second to last seat on the third row, which was close to the middle row of seats. She saved the seat next to her for Shuuhei.

It was close to 8 am when a group of students walked in through the door and trailing behind them was her friend. Shuuhei smiled as he walked toward her and took his seat beside her.

"Morning" they both said at the same time, smiling slightly. Then, the smile got wider. She shook her head in amusement. She felt happy already.

Hisagi Shuuhei was the son of Hisagi Zennosuke and Hisagi Miyo. The Hisagis' owned one of the largest food chains in the country: The Hisagi Food Group. He was all set to take charge of the business when his father retires which didn't look like it was going to be any time soon. So, he lived his life by his own terms and partied, a lot.

He was also one of the most sought-after people on campus. He was tall, very good-looking with rich dark blue hair and dark eyes that gave him a mysterious look. He already had that air of a businessman. It showed in his dressing-style; like today, he wore a sky blue shirt, black slacks, dress shoes and his signature long, black overcoat that brought out his shoulder blades. He carried his books in an executive style bag.

With all the female attention he was getting, he should have been an incorrigible flirt. But his relationship with Rukia had put a stop to such shenanigans. Girls were often confused by their friendship, because of well, their obvious jealousy. But no one dared mess with Kuchiki Rukia who had a look on her face that said, "Mess with me and I'll fuck you up."

He went out with some of the girls, showed them a good time but abstained from getting physical with all of them. Sometimes, he thought, he would get lucky and sometimes not so much.

Rukia studied him, for he looked slightly bored or was he sleep-deprived? Their professor had walked in so she couldn't ask him.

The professor was setting up a projector and the lights dimmed around them.

Shuuhei groaned. "Does the first session _have_ to be a presentation?" he asked her, as students were scrambling around in a rush trying to find seats.

"Shut up and pay attention," Rukia told him, in a low voice. She wasn't happy about it either but complaining is not going to help.

But Shuuhei was not listening. A long-legged girl (which she so generously showed off) wearing a mini-skirt and tight tank-top, walked in the direction where Rukia and Shuuhei sat. She eyed Shuuhei appreciatively and took the seat directly behind his.

Shuuhei grinned as Rukia rolled her eyes and looked at the now lit-up screen: Security Analysis and Portfolio Management. She decided to stay out of his "extra-curricular" activities. She started taking down notes as the professor started with his lecture.

But suddenly, the pen was snatched away from her hand. "What are you doing?" she snarled in a whisper. Shuuhei grinned yet again. Completely ignoring the "Kuchiki" glare that she was giving him, he tore a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote clearly making sure she could see as well. "Dinner at 9?"

He folded it and without looking back, handed it (discreetly) to the person behind him. The note left his hand. He was looking so full of himself that Rukia wanted to punch him.

She snatched back her pen and once again looked at the screen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw as he accepted a note from behind. He read and smirked wickedly. He slid it to her and she read: "Of course, where?"

"Watch," he whispered, quite obnoxiously, as he turned around in his seat to face his date. Rukia glanced back as well.

And looking back at him was a lady who looked twice his age and who was also smiling seductively at him.

The long-legged chick had offered her chair to the older woman and had taken a seat in the back rows. Since the lights were dimmed in the classroom, he hadn't noticed.

Rukia passed off the snort as a loud cough but she would be laughing her ass off if she could see the expression on his face. Since his back was facing her at the moment, she laughed silently into her hands.

Shuuhei turned to the front and sank down in his seat. He face-palmed.

Rukia felt sorry for him but she was still trying her best to not laugh out loud and her face was getting redder by the second.

_Poor_ Shuuhei reached into his pocket and took out a little black book. He flipped it open and saw her staring at him in amusement.

"Don't; okay? Just don't say a word," he said, picking up his own pen this time, and starting to write in the small book.

Rukia's mouth curved into a genuine smile. She had no idea what he wrote in that little black book and she had never asked him. It was his secret.

Hisagi Shuuhei… the guy who makes her forget about all her troubles whenever she was with him. When first she had met him, she didn't like him at all. She thought that he was one of those spoilt rich kids who had everything handed to them in a silver platter. And she had only met him last year in class! But now, he was her best friend; her special friend.

Basically, he was a nice guy. And she was absolutely certain of that.

Why?

Because - that night - he didn't cancel his date.

* * *

><p>"So…" Rukia said as they were walking towards one of the food-stands on the road, outside of the campus, that they frequented.<p>

""_So_" what?" he asked her.

Classes had finished early so they stopped to grab a bite.

"Steamed buns," they announced to the lady behind the food-cart. She opened a steaming vessel and picked up the buns with a pair of tongs. She handed them two each in a small paper cup, for which they paid.

_Moment of truth Rukia…_ she thought.

"Can you come with me to Karakura?" she said, in a rush.

Shuuhei, who was adding liberal amounts of chilli sauce on his buns, stopped as he heard her words.

"You're asking me to go with you… to the wedding?" he asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yes, I am," she said, "So, what do you say?"

She waited. "Sure, I'll go," he said casually.

_Well that was easy._

She felt relief coursing through her veins. _I'm not going alone…_

Shuuhei spoke, "Not that I wouldn't _love_ to go to a strange new town with you," smirking slightly, making Rukia scowl at him. "But I have to ask, why me?"

Rukia took her time in answering. "I don't want to go alone."

That surprised Shuuhei. The Rukia he knew would never say something like that; at least not with a straight face. Ever since he'd known her, he felt that she had something more than confidence in her. It was an iron will, a resolve so strong that even at such a young age she came off as a disciplinarian. She could never have a moment of weakness and even if she did, she would never let anyone see it.

Rukia had mentioned the subject of Karakura Town and of her departure from it only once to him. She hadn't told him all of the details; just that she had gotten fucked over by two people she had trusted; a boyfriend she had thought would be the love of her life and her best friend since kindergarten. Other than that, she didn't offer any details about her emotions or such. She was just – stating a fact.

Shuuhei knew that she wasn't entirely prepared for the trip but was glad that she had taken the initiative to back to her hometown. He inwardly smiled at the petite woman next to him. He didn't know how she had become the closest friend he'd ever had, but was glad of it. He had never met anyone like her. She had been through a lot for someone who was brought up as a Kuchiki. Sometimes, he couldn't help but worry as well. She didn't have a social life and neither did she want one. She rejected all the men who had dared to ask her out and was quite happy in the little world that revolved around school and work.

He sometimes wondered if she had lost the ability to trust people. Why had she trusted him, he wondered, but could not come up with an answer. He didn't want one, he was just happy to be close to her. And he would go with her, make sure she has a good time and bring her back, finally putting the past behind her as she can move on.

"So, when is it?" he asked, after a long gap of comfortable silence.

"A week after our end-of-semester exams," was the reply.

"That's like two more months away," he said, "And its right after the Christmas holidays. Should be fun…"

"She asked me to be a bridesmaid but since I can actually be there only a week before, I had to refuse." She looked sad at that but then suddenly cheered up. "I can spend an entire week with them, so I'm not complaining."

"How do you feel about all this?" he asked genuinely curious. She was going to come face-to-face with her "old friends" after all.

Rukia regarded him with her large purple eyes that he found so mesmerising. "It doesn't matter how I feel, Shuuhei. Sometimes, I think Nii-sama is right. Emotions are useless. If my actions are guided by how I feel, I wouldn't be going at all. I want to do this so I am."

Shuuhei jumped a little at her words. She looked so strong and yet so fragile at the same time, it was difficult to decide which adjective described her.

She continued, still looking at him. "But if have to answer you, I'd say that I want to kill them both. Does that count as an emotion?"

Shuuhei smiled. He could hear the sarcasm in her words as she spoke them.

"Besides, I'm going to see people who still mean something to me; not those whom I wish I'd never met."

She was right about that. She had changed, what happened changed her, he thought, sadly.

_How was she before it all happened?_

They were finished with their steamed buns and dropped the empty cups into a trash can. "Now, can we cut the crap and get going?" she asked, snapping back to her usual I-don't-give-a-shit attitude.

"Fine by me," he smiled at the beautiful girl beside him.

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura Town<strong>

Ichigo and Orihime were seated at a table in a small restaurant that was known for its good service and even better food. They were both dressed for the evening; he was sporting a casual black suit, white shirt and tie and she was dressed in an elegant little red dress that accentuated her curves and sensible shoes.

However, there was silence between them. It was strained and both avoided each other's eyes.

Ichigo initially decided that taking her out to dinner was the best way at apologising for his behaviour towards her for the past few days. Ever since she called him that morning, he had been on edge. She had called him several times after that, but he avoided her until Tatsuki threatened to beat the crap out of him if he didn't straighten out his attitude. He agreed, feeling a little ashamed that he was taking out his anger on his girlfriend.

But even now, as he had successfully asked her out to dinner, he didn't know what to say to her. Somehow, the past seemed to haunt him even more. Momo and Izuru had confirmed that Rukia would be attending the wedding and he felt the old wounds open. They felt raw and pulsated in renewed pains. His mood didn't improve. He found himself wishing, against every single fibre in his body, that he could see his ex-girlfriend again. To know if she was well, to see if she still looked as beautiful as she did all those years ago; to truly understand if she had forgiven him for betraying her trust.

He hated the feeling for he only wanted to hate her. But seven years is a long time to be mad at someone, he thought, and now, he felt he wanted to see her again. He just wanted to see her. Period.

And being around Orihime only reminded him of what he did. Not that he was blaming her; far from it. It only reminded him all the more of the fact that he had separated two best friends from each other; two friends who had known each other since they were children.

The waitress brought them their order and left. They had both ordered a simple salad for neither of them was in the mood for eating much. Silence continued as they both dug into their salad and ate quietly.

He didn't take his eyes off his plate as he ate. Orihime saw the change in him. It hurt her to see him like this. She loved him, loved him more than she could think possible, but she did. He was kind, gentle and a caring person. She wanted to be the one who made him happy and for the past few years that they had been together, she felt that she had. He _had_ been happy. But with the mention of just one name, she discovered how easily it could be broken.

Was their love so fragile? Her chest clenched painfully and the hands clutching the fork and knife, trembled, as she thought of the person who was her former best friend. What happened back then… just did. She was trembling with shame the day Rukia found out about her and Ichigo. She had known then that he had just used her to get revenge on her best friend. But something unthinkable had happened. Rukia left town, cutting off all ties with them, probably forever.

For weeks, she couldn't take it. _She_ was the reason that Rukia left! Rukia was the strong yet kind girl whom she had the privilege to know; someone whom she considered lucky to have in her life. But secretly, she knew that she was the only one who could make Ichigo happy, aside from Rukia. She had always liked him but he only had eyes for her friend. She tried so hard not to be jealous but she couldn't. It hurt seeing them together; so very much in love, a mature love, one that can stand the test of time. It had hurt _a lot_.

Things had calmed down after a while, and she settled into her life, with Ichigo right beside her. She couldn't help but be happy at that. She missed her friend but she was in love. She convinced herself that Ichigo and Rukia weren't meant to be and that she was the right choice for him. She hoped, prayed, that wherever Rukia was, she would find someone and be happy with him; just as she was.

How all of that had come crashing down on her with just one phone call! Her world was crumbling around her and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Ichigo?" she said in a low voice.

He looked up at her thinking that for once she had addressed him by his given name.

"I don't want to lose you," she said, as honestly as she could without adding the "to her" at the end of that sentence.

He just sat there looking at the girl who had been his girlfriend for so long. It was as though he was seeing her for the first time. He just looked.

It was then that the truth hit him with the force of a truck, knocking the breath out of him.

_I've settled for the best friend because I couldn't have the woman herself._

He had been with her solely out of his anger at his ex-girlfriend. What had he been thinking, he had no clue. She had left without a word to anyone and that fuelled his anger so much he actually thought he hated her. Pure vengeance was what drove him to accept Orihime, not affection.

His heart seemed to ache as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him. She was trembling, so was he. The weight of his emotions was getting to be too much for him to handle.

He slowly reached out and placed a hand over hers which was on the table.

"You won't lose me," he said, looking into her eyes. He felt relief as her eyes brightened at his words.

He was not lying. After all this time, he couldn't just cut her lose. He was not that kind of man. He would be with her, comfort her and take care of her as he'd always done. He realised that's _all _that he'd ever done. And he would do it for as long as she wanted it.

Except there was a _blaring_ difference this time. He was in love with another woman.

_**Hope you liked it. Please review.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T (may change in future)**

**Thank you everyone for reading my fic and for the reviwes as well. It is very much appreciated. And also for the favourite alerts, thank you so much.**

**KeaRy anCe: Oh I'm not offended at all. You took the time to read my fic so if I can improve it in any way to make it easier for you, please tell me. Hope you like it this time around. Please enjoy.**

**cAmeLkiZ4: Haaaa, finally I have someone to speak to about this. It is Kal Ho Naa Ho. Rukia felt a little like Naina there, all alone and kind of lost so I thought she needs a friend here and Rohit came into my mind. I wrote out that scene for fun and liked it. So, Shuuhei became my Rohit. Did you notice the story name: Tell Me You Love Me... Kaho na... pyaar hai? **

**The story is all mine but it was inspired by the old movies.**

**Hope you enjoy it. Thank you all once again:)  
><strong>

**Tell Me You Love Me**

**Chapter 4**

**Face-to-Face**

After seven long years, she was finally going back to Karakura Town. Two months passed by in a blur and as exams approached, there was little room for thinking about anything else. Rukia had studied, hard. And she felt that she performed them quite well. It was kind of gratifying to know that the effort she had put into her studies paid off in the end. The same could not be said about Shuuhei. In Shuuhei's case, he thought that _all_ Rukia ever did was study so it may be an easy task for her but for him, he needed all the help he could get to simply stay focused.

Well, that's where having good friends comes in handy. Rukia held his hand right through the entire time which gave him some confidence. He performed well, but not to "Kuchiki Sama's" high expectations. But since the entire ordeal was over on a fine Thursday evening, he stopped caring. He would only open that closet when it was time for the results to come out.

So, it was on a Friday morning that Kuchiki Rukia decided to board the train that would take her back to Karakura Town for the first time in seven years.

She had bought the ticket with admirable confidence and felt happy at the fact that she would be seeing her old friends again. In fact, she was ecstatic. She would be at a very special event of one of her closest friends. Anyone would be happy, she thought.

But that feeling sort of evaporated as soon as Shuuhei told her that he wouldn't be able to go along with her; at least, not any time soon. He was, to put it mildly, currently indisposed at the office of the Hisagi Food Group. Suffice it to say that their goodbye was less than cordial. (She had flipped him off before turning her back on him)

She couldn't believe she was on her own. She felt completely unprepared for this trip without her friend. Said friend had called several times and she finally accepted his call shortly before boarding the train. He said that he would be at Karakura Town the day before the wedding and would most humbly, accompany her to it.

That cheered her up. Well… somewhat.

It was the small ray of hope which gave her the courage to pack her bags and get into the train. It wasn't easy, seeing as how she had to convince her brother to permit her to go in the first place. Truth was, he knew nothing about anything that happened between her and her friends in Karakura Town, simply because she had never told him about it. Byakuya only knew that she still kept in touch with Momo and gleaned that everything was still well and good. But he wasn't quite as accommodating as she thought he would be when she informed him about her decided trip back to town.

But she didn't admit defeat. She had promised Momo that she would be there and she would go her to wedding even if it was the last thing she ever did. Rukia kept up a strong front and refused to speak with him for a few days which quietly angered her elder brother. He was strong as well but since her exams started, she began to completely ignore him. But this worked out for the best when he witnessed the amount of effort she put into her studies. She hardly had a social life and has hardly ever given him any sort of trouble. So, he conceded in the end but still took control of the situation by taking care of the bookings of the hotel she would be staying at while in Karakura.

It made him feel – connected. He even accompanied her to the station, surprising her and himself in the process. Neither he nor she was one to show emotions to the other.

So, here she was – baggage and all (pun intended) on her way to the place she never wanted to go back to, ever.

The six hour trip was going to be monotonous. She was a little restless at first, seeing as Shuuhei wasn't with her.

_Don't think about it Rukia_… she kept telling herself.

It was all she could do to remain calm. And it worked, after a while. Her mind felt somewhat settled and she spent the rest of the time listening to her i-pod. Music was instant therapy. She felt herself getting entangled in the lyrics than her thoughts and slowly, the tension eased.

The train steadily moved on where it would finally stop at her destination: Karakura Town.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Karakura Town<strong>

Six friends met at café Barista for breakfast. It was a special occasion after all. They didn't do this very often, only when they all had something important to discuss. They were all excited, for a person they had thought was out of their lives was coming back. Since it was a Friday, they would only be able to see her after they were no longer encumbered by their jobs and work.

"Where will she be staying?" asked Uryu, to the group.

"GRT," replied Momo. GRT was a fairly low-key hotel but was still famous for its long years of service.

"Byakuya's doing, I suppose," Renji conjectured.

They all nodded at that. Byakuya was very protective of his kid sister ever since they had known the Kuchikis.

"I wanted her to stay with us but she told me that he'd already made the reservations, so…" Momo told them, indictating herself and her fiancé, who was seated next to her.

"Are Ichigo and Orihime still taking it hard then?" Chad asked them, almost done with his breakfast.

"They've been fighting a lot lately," said Tatsuki with a worried expression on her face.

"Have they been fighting or was Kurosaki simply being grouchy?" Uryu asked Tatsuki, who turned her gaze to him. He was right, no point in denying that. Ichigo seemed to be putting a distance between him and Orihime who in turn was getting distressed by the day. She remembered the sad face of her friend the last time she had spoken to her.

Uryu took her silence as confirmation.

"Bastard's still not gotten over Rukia and now he's giving Inoue-san the cold shoulder," said Uryu with a disturbed face.

Momo decided to break the gloomy atmosphere that seemed to creep into air around them.

"Can we please just focus on the fact that Rukia is coming back to us?" Momo said.

"Yeah…" everyone nodded.

"We're getting married in a week!" said Izuru suddenly, startling everyone, including Momo who blushed immediately.

Soon, they all started to guffaw at Momo's reaction which then amalgamated into loud laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day<strong>

Walking around town, particularly at the time of dusk was one of Kurosaki Ichigo's favourite things to do. A solitary walk helped him clear his mind after a long day of teaching and lecturing at the University. It was a time in which he didn't have to think or speak or do anything. It was a time to unwind, to relax.

He breathed in the fresh air as he walked back home from Karakura University. He took a detour around to the park in order to prolong his evening walk. However, the refreshment the evening strolls would give him, evaded him. For two months, it had evaded him. In fact, everything that seemed to give him peace of mind had evaded him. He no longer felt – happy. He was dull, difficult and easily angered. And it was taking a serious toll on his relationship with his girlfriend, Orihime.

As the days progressed, he built up a distance between himself and her, fearing that he may unwittingly hurt her because all she wanted to do was talk to him about the past. That was one thing he didn't want; it was bad enough that he was having disturbing dreams about a certain black-haired petite girl that he found he couldn't look Orihime in the face without feeling guilty about it.

He had lost his voraciousness for reading, melody was lost from music, food lost taste, and the world itself lost its colour. Guilt could do that to a person. And he knew he was guilty. Instead of going to her like a man and confronting the problem, he had resorted to cheap satisfaction like vengeance, to protect his pride. And he didn't even get a chance to make amends. _But that was not true,_ a voice inside his head told him. He was getting a chance; this was his chance. She was coming back to him; surely he would be able to change things, right?

The only question was: Would she be willing to make amends?

Would she want him back in her life, even as a friend or acquaintance?

Somehow, he didn't think so.

So, he kept on walking.

* * *

><p>They were only a few feet from each other when their eyes met; deep purple met glowing amber. Both had the same reaction. Their eyes bulged and mouths parted as a sign of recognition. Then, there was dead silence. Not even the wind blew their way.<p>

Kuchiki Rukia was standing right before him. Not only was she right in front of him but she was looking at him; locked her brilliant eyes with his own.

His breath was lost as he stared at the person before him. The only thing he heard was his increasing heartbeat.

_The beautiful girl had grown into an even more beautiful woman_, he thought.

She was a little taller than he remembered but not by much for she was still shorter than most people. Her ebony-black hair was a little longer but fuller with more volume with the single bang that fell across her face. But the eyes, her mesmerising deep purple eyes which he had loved so much, were the same. They were large, deep and spoke volumes about the mood she was in for her eyes always gave away her emotions.

And that was exactly what snapped him out of the reverie he had fallen into. The last time he had seen her eyes, he saw the light leave them. He cringed for even now, the light was absent. They looked – dejected, at best.

She was steadily looking at him, a myriad of emotions overlapping each other in a matter of seconds. She gulped, loudly. The expression on her face seemed frozen and there was nothing she could do about it.

He opened his mouth to speak, not knowing what he wanted to say. He wanted to hear her voice, make sure that she was indeed real and not a hallucination conjured up by his brain.

She turned away from him. _Yet again_, he thought.

She started to walk away from him, crushing him in the process. Anger crept up on him, making him forget the pain for a brief second.

"You're walking away again," he said, in a loud voice to the retreating figure. "You don't have anything to say to me?"

The anger could be heard in his voice. He didn't mind, for it made him speak to her.

Rukia stopped in her tracks. With her back facing him, she said in a clipped, even voice, "There is nothing left to say."

She moved away again.

Ichigo stood there, feeling like he'd betrayed her all over again. "Tch'e" he scoffed as he too turned around in the opposite direction, and walked away.

'_What did you expect, Ichigo?'_ he asked himself.

_What the fuck did you expect?_

He answered himself.

_Anything but this…_

* * *

><p>Rukia was running. She was trembling so badly she could barely breathe. She ran as fast as she could and found a large oak tree at the end of the park. She collapsed down against its trunk and pulled up her knees to her chest, hugging them with her arms.<p>

_Why is this happening?_

Having reached Karakura Town earlier than she'd expected, she decided to reacquaint herself with her former hometown. She checked into the hotel, showered, dressed and decided to start with the park. It was close to the hotel and she would be able to make it in time to meet her friends at Barista. It had been their hangout since high school; she would never forget it for as long as she lived.

That had been a mistake; a very big mistake. She had never thought that she would come across his face so soon after reaching Karakura. She trembled at how her breath hitched at the sight of him and how her heart started to pound in her chest.

It was the same as she'd always felt when she saw him.

She jumped at her own reaction to him. She needed to get away. She could not just stand there and stare at his incredibly handsome face, looking all grown up, a man now, with the shockingly orange mop of hair that would only look good on him. The intense amber eyes showed nothing but stunned surprise as he gazed at her. What she saw in his eyes shocked her more than seeing him for the first time after seven years. They were filled with hope, happiness and he was about to speak to her. She saw as his mouth opened to form words, it was then that she knew she had to get away.

She was not ready to speak with him, not when he could unhinge her in just one meeting. She wanted to get away, not only from him, but from Karakura as well. She wanted to be back home in Tokyo, with her brother, with Shuuhei…

As Shuuhei's face filled her tumultuous mind, she was struck with a sudden idea. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and called him.

He answered immediately. "Rukia?" said his voice, his pleasant calming voice that instantly quelled the loneliness in her.

"Shuuhei…"

"What's the matter?" he asked immediately. Her voice sounded so shaky that he grew worried for his friend.

"Shuuhei…" she said, again in that shaky voice. "I want to go back home…"

Shuuhei's grip on his phone tightened. His tension mounted with each passing second.

_What happened to you?_

"Rukia," he said, in a slow voice, hoping to sound calm himself, "…tell me what's wrong. What happened?"

"I – I thought I could handle this…" she said, on the verge of tears, "but I don't think I can. I just want to go home. Please help me."

Shuuhei could not believe that this was Kuchiki Rukia on the phone with him. She sounded so very scared and alone that it frightened him to the core. Never in a million years would he believe that he would hear her voice shaking like this.

Praying for patience, he said, yet again, "Please tell me what happened."

"I – I… Shuuhei, I ran into _him_."

He knew who "him" was. He didn't stop to ask how she met him. "And what happened?"

"I just walked away again. I can't handle seeing him again. I don't want to feel this way, Shuuhei," she was practically pleading with him now. But pleading for what exactly, he couldn't say. Was she asking him if it was right to just run away again?

No, it was not right. He knew that and so did she. But he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Rukia, listen to me," he said, speaking slowly once again. "You can do this."

There was no answer.

He continued, "You can do this," he repeated even slower this time. "I know you can."

Rukia heard Shuuhei's words. She had nothing to say in return. "What did you decide to do when chose to go back to Karakura?" he asked her.

She thought back, "I decided to – take it one day at a time."

"That's right," he said, his voice gaining some confidence at the sound of her less shaky and more Rukia-like voice. "One day at a time, that's all. Just think about what you're going to do now, nothing else. So, what are you going to do later tonight?" he asked her.

"Go to the café and meet my friends," she answered, focusing only on the immediate future.

"Good. And then?"

"Get back to the hotel and get some sleep."

"That's right. Just take one step at a time. You'll be fine. Okay?"

Rukia took a deep shaky breath and felt calmer than she thought she would feel. "Thank you, Shuuhei," she said after a short silence.

Back home in his office, Shuuhei nerves were settling down. Rukia sounded like Rukia again.

"Don't ever make me say anything like that again, okay?" he said, loosening his tie and collapsing into a chair. He felt like he could breathe again.

"Yeah…" she said, in a small voice. But she truly felt grateful for having a friend like him. He was her saviour, she knew it.

"Call me again before you go to sleep, alright?"

"Yeah" she said, again.

The call was disconnected shortly after.

_**Hope you like it. Please review.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and all the alerts. I can't even begin to describe how much it means to me. I couldn't ask for more.**

**Jorie: I feel very humbled by your words.**

**Thank you all:) Thank you all so very much :):)  
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**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T (may change in future)**

**Chapter 5**

**Reunion**

A moment of weakness … was what she had experienced a short while ago. At least, that was what she kept telling to herself. It was a moment that was beyond her control. And she'd handled it as best as she could, given the circumstances. Thanks to Shuuhei, she was still in Karakura Town. Thanks to him, she was still in one piece.

Rukia was back at her hotel, resting on a chair in her luxurious room, silently contemplating the events that had happened less than an hour before in her life. She was trembling slightly with the memory of meeting Kurosaki Ichigo. There were still feelings there, unresolved feelings that threatened to tear her apart in front of him unless she ran away and never looked back.

She had walked away from him, afraid of her own feelings towards him, afraid of him and whatever he wanted to say to her. She was surprised at that. He was about to speak to her. She wondered what he would have said if she had allowed him to speak. Was he about to say "Hi" or "Hey" or his signature "Yo", as though they had been together all along? She couldn't tell. She didn't _want_ to find out.

She had wanted to speak to him as well. She just – wasn't ready. She didn't want to hear his voice, his all too familiar voice and be entranced by it. Of all the things she had loved about him in the past, she had loved his voice and it was only second best to his intense amber eyes. It was a voice that completely suited his personality and whatever expression he exhibited. Be it anger or laughter or love or sadness, whatever it may be it thoroughly spelled out his emotions. She had loved it.

She was getting away, only to be stopped his voice. It _made_ her stop, involuntarily.

"_You're walking away again."_ She cringed inside as she heard him. _"You don't have anything to say to me?"_

She almost snorted at that. Nothing to say… oh, there were a lot of things she would like to say. She could think of a million things, just off the top of her head, to say. But would she allow it?

Absolutely not.

And she had told him the same. At that time, all she wanted was to get away from him. It was a small consolation that he couldn't see the expression on her face as she did. It would surely have given her away. She remembered how he could detect her mood swings just by looking at her face. Shuuhei could do that too.

Shuuhei…

She silently thanked the Gods for giving her a friend like Shuuhei. She was sure she would be on a train back to Tokyo right now, if it wasn't for him. He gave her the courage to come back to the hotel and meet with her friends as she had formerly decided.

And for the better part of half an hour now, she had been trying to regain her composure.

A moment of weakness … She was sure she had frightened Shuuhei with her impromptu phone call to him. It surprised her at how much he can affect her when she had heard his deep, pleasant voice on the phone. She felt like he was there with her right then.

She only missed him all the more when the call ended.

Sighing, she got off the chair and walked over to a mirror. Staring back at her was a black-haired girl with deep purple eyes which looked sad on her pale face.

_Well no wonder people can read me so easily._

Rukia looked at the time. It was getting close to 7 pm. She had agreed to meet with her friends at 7:30 pm. Apprehension and anxiety were mixed together as she thought about what she was about to do. Meeting up with her friends after so long… she started to wonder at how different they might be from the people she had formerly known. She grew tense thinking that they might bring up past topics which she hoped would remain past topics, particularly after what happened at the park.

Should she tell them about it?

_I can't decide right now_. Shuuhei's words rang through her. _Just take one step at a time. Okay? You'll be fine._

Taking a very deep breath, she pushed all of her anxiety to the back of her mind.

_One step at a time… So, change first and then go to Barista._

Her jeans and jacket were wet from sitting on the damp grass in the park, when she had collapsed on the oak tree before. So, she changed out of them.

She put on another pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a v-necked white blouse with elbow-length sleeves with a pair of sneakers along with a dark coat that fell below the knees. She put on minimal make-up and hoped it would help mask her pale face. It kind of did, so she was a little relieved at that.

Finally, she grabbed her BlackBerry, room key and put some money into a small bag, and was out the door.

_Here I go…_

* * *

><p>Inoue Orihime was sitting in Ichigo's apartment, waiting for him to come home. It was a fairly short walk from the university campus to his apartment but she knew he had the habit of walking around town, as a way to relax and unwind.<p>

She smiled. She remembered him coming home with his coat folded neatly in his hands or slung over his shoulder in a carefree way, tie loose around his neck and his hair messed up because of the wind, looking very peaceful and relaxed.

He always looked so handsome she couldn't help but smile. But the smile was slowly wiped off her face when she realised that it had been a very long time since she had seen him smile, especially at her.

He had been keeping everyone at arm's length for the past two months, even her. She didn't know how to approach him, didn't know how to go to him and help him with his troubles. She just didn't know. For the first time, her relationship faced a crisis of monumental proportions, meaning that if left unattended it could very well come to an end, and she didn't know what to do.

How could she let this happen? Why can't she be of help to him?

She'd liked to think that out of all of Ichigo's friends and family, she was the one who understood him the most. She was the only one who could tell what is going through his mind and read his emotions. Wasn't that they very reason she has been his girlfriend for so long?

Sure, she and Ichigo do fight, like all normal couples do but they always mend it.

_But I am always the one to apologise first._

Whatever fights they had, she was the one to apologise first, not wanting to be apart from him. No matter whose fault it was or whatever the reason for their fights, she ended up apologising first to him. And then they would talk about it and resolve the issue.

Only now did she realise just how wrong that was. When confronted with a huge problem before them, as a couple, she just didn't know what to do. Now-a-days, talking to Tatsuki about it didn't help. Not like it used to when they were younger. She felt so alone, trapped in the middle of it all.

She had a key to Ichigo's apartment, which she hadn't used in a long time. But today, she decided to use it. For today was the day that Rukia was coming back to Karakura Town and she knew she needed to be with Ichigo right now. Rukia coming back to town was just as hard on her as it was for him. Rukia had come for Momo's wedding and she would leave once it was over. Then, they would all go back to their daily lives.

This was not the time to make things right between them. She knew Rukia enough to know that had beneath the tough exterior was a lonely girl. The same girl she had befriended all those years ago and all the way through to high school. And she had hurt that girl. She had hurt her very badly.

Orihime felt the tears roll down her cheeks with the weight of her emotions. She let them fall. She felt so ashamed at hiding out here, away from all of her friends, away from Rukia, all because she was afraid she would lose Ichigo.

The clock struck seven and Ichigo was still not home. He was never so late before. Fear started to creep into her as her mind started to wander at all the dangers that could befall him. But something made her stop. It was a noise. A scuffling noise was coming from outside the door.

Nervous, she wiped her face clean and stepped towards the door. Someone was fumbling on the wooden door from the other side. Feeling braver than she thought, she yanked the door open only to find herself face-to-face with Kurosaki Ichigo. _A very very drunk Kurosaki Ichigo_.

His clothes were just as she'd imagined them to be; carelessly undone in relaxation. But the man himself was so drunk he was swaying on his feet.

His coat and bag were on the floor and it seemed like he had been using the door as support to bend down and pick them up, as he could barely stand. He was unsuccessful. Orihime looked at the man she loved and wanted to scream.

His amber eyes were glazed over and unfocused and he reeked of alcohol. He didn't seem to know what was happening around him for he was looking at nothing in particular.

Orihime almost started crying again. He just looked so lost that she wanted to scream and yell out all her pain. He swayed again and Orihime caught him just in time, for he would have fallen down. She half-carried him over the threshold and dragged him all the way to the couch. Once he was safely on it, she went back and retrieved his coat and bag, and shut the door behind her.

Ichigo was propped up on his own couch. He looked ready to pass out.

She slowly walked over to him, holding back her tears, and sat down next to him. He seemed to notice.

"Inoue?" he slurred, as though he had only just noticed her presence.

Orihime's heart clenched painfully at him addressing her by her last name. It may as well be seven years ago when Rukia walked out on him. It felt like this was something he would have done at that time.

"Why are you drunk?" she asked him in a soft voice.

"I'm not drunk, I'm fiiiine," he slurred again. He was also smiling as he said that.

Truth was she had never, ever seen him so drunk. She had hardly seen him drink at all! He didn't have the affinity for alcohol as some people did. Something must be very wrong for him to get drunk like this.

"What happened, Ichigo?"

She called out to him with all the love in her heart.

He looked at her, smile gone this time. He almost seemed to be frowning, in thought.

"She was my everything…" he said suddenly. Her heart simply broke at his words. _She… Rukia…_

He slid closer to her, making her lean away from his stench. "I knew… I knew that she was special."

She wiped the tears as they were blurring her vision. More poured down, and she let them flow. They dropped into her pink blouse.

She tried to tell herself that he was not thinking straight and believed he was speaking to her as he knew her seven years ago. But it hurt her so much that she wanted to cry out loud, into the night.

"You know…"he said his face inches from hers. "I saw her…"

Orihime's eyes bulged in shock.

_That explains everything._

"She was _soooo _beautiful…" he said with a sad face. "So beautiful… she was – "

He let the sentence hang, as though he couldn't find the words to describe her. He tried to gesture with his hands but ended up falling sideways into her lap.

Again, he didn't seem to notice. Crying harder than ever, she cradled his head in her hands as he kept mumbling incoherently for a while.

He fell into a deep sleep with a last word escaping his lips.

"_Rukia…"_

* * *

><p>Cafe Barista held many sweet memories for Rukia. After school was over, she and her friends would come here and while away the time. The owners of the establishment were an old married couple who loved to have the kids over almost every day. After all, they had their own corner booth which was always left free for them.<p>

Now, standing outside its glass double-doors, she felt nostalgic. She was early but one glance at the corner booth told her that the rest of her friends were early as well.

They were all there – Renji, Tatsuki, Chad, Momo, Izuru and Uryu. They were seated at the booth, sipping on tea or coke or whatever beverage that struck their fancy, talking and laughing like she remembered. She used to be a part of that.

A huge smile appeared on her face as she watched them.

_I missed them. Oh, how I missed them all._

Without another thought, she pushed open the doors and stepped inside. Six pairs of eyes turned in unison as she entered the café. Time seemed to slow down for Rukia for everything seemed to happen slowly.

As they saw her, they all stood up in unison and smiled. And she just stood and stared at them, the wide smile on her face becoming wider as her chest wanted to explode with happiness.

They moved forward to her and then stopped with only a few feet separating them.

"Holy fuck!" yelled Renji, shattering the silence. He moved and smothered Rukia in a bear-hug that nearly suffocated her. She didn't even bother. She was just dazed in happiness.

Renji's actions inspired the rest of them and Rukia found herself being passed around from one person to another, while they hugged her to death.

At the end of it, she was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down her eyes. And she found that she was sitting with them at her favourite booth. She was talking and laughing with them, just like she did in the past, as though nothing had changed and they were still those kids who were enjoying themselves after a long day in school.

But they all looked different and she knew to them she was different from before as well. Renji's dark red hair was longer and his ponytail no longer resembled a pineapple at the top of his head. The hair flowed down to his shoulders but in every other aspect, he was the same down to the very last tattoo. He looked more mature than she'd ever seen him. Chad and Uryu had simply grown in height because their hair and face was the same as before. Tatsuki's hair had grown long and sleek making her look very pretty. However, Rukia got the feeling that she was still the tomboy she'd always known.

Finally, she turned to look at the happy couple. They were sitting close together, surveying her with immense satisfaction and happiness. They looked like the perfect couple.

"I can't believe you two are getting married," she told the couple, after they had all settled down.

"And we can't believe you're actually here," Momo said, smiling widely at her. Momo looked at the young woman sitting in front of her and couldn't help but be happy at what she saw. Rukia had grown into a beautiful woman. She looked more mature and she just exuded a confidence that spoke of silent strength. Time had been good to her friend, even with all the hardships she had had to endure.

"Me neither," Rukia admitted. It felt as though she was having a very good dream. "It feels good to be back," she added honestly.

Momo put a hand over hers which was resting on the table. "So, how have you been?" Momo asked.

They were all staring at her. "Good," she said, but the meeting with her former boyfriend came into her mind, causing her to look elsewhere as she answered Momo.

None of them seemed to notice. But Rukia noticed the atmosphere tense all of a sudden when Momo looked around to the rest of them once before turning back to Rukia. Renji and the others looked a little anxious.

She frowned, wondering what the matter was.

"Rukia," said Momo, "you're going to find out sooner rather than later, so I thought it would be best if it was now."

Rukia looked surprised at that. "What is it?"

"They're … still uh – together," said Momo, hesitantly. "Ichigo and Orihime," she added, at the blank look on Rukia's face.

Rukia's gut clenched – hard. Right then, it felt like her heart was being pummelled and kicked into her ribs repeatedly. They all looked worriedly at her which she only vaguely registered. Her mind was still trying to process the information while her heart clenched in pain.

Her nails were digging into her palms. But she just gulped, swallowing her emotions, and looked straight at Momo.

She tried to smile.

"That's fine," she told them. "Tell me all about the proposal," she said to Momo.

The tension eased somewhat for her friends thought that she truly was fine with it.

Oh how wrong they were.

How very wrong indeed.

_**Hope you like it. Please review**_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T**

**Jorie: I can't believe you're thanking me for updating:) Thank you for reading.**

**HAPPY CHAPY FAN: Hmm, you're going to have to wait to find out the reason:) Hopefully, it will be a joyful wait **

**Crystalxangel: You made my day. Thank you!**

**TruantPony: I know, right? Not being able to help Ichi is one of the fundamental reasons why I don't like the Ichixhime pairing. She may understand him but she can't help him. I kind of used that here.**

**Thank you EVERYONE:) Thank you for all the reviews and all the alerts! I can't believe it.**

**Thank you all again!**

**Tell Me You Love Me **

**Chapter 5**

**Broken**

"…I walked into the room that evening and there were rose petals all over the floor," Momo was saying, in a tone of pure rapture, her face exhibiting all the signs of one who was physically present and mentally absent.

Rukia was sure she was gone off to that happy place which was the night of her proposal. Rukia was hearing it for the third time today, but she didn't complain. She could hear it all day because she couldn't get enough of Momo's happy face as she recited the story.

"They led up the stairs, all the way to the balcony. And Izuru was there, looking so handsome in a nice suit and he had a bouquet of roses in his hand. I almost screamed in happiness when I saw him. Oh, it was just the most perfect evening! "

Rukia smiled at this part. She waited for Momo to continue.

"His eyes just called out to me and… Oh my God… he didn't have to say a word! I just knew and he got down on one knee and pulls out this gorgeous ring and says, "Marry me"."

Momo was on the verge of tears because of her happy memory. She waved the hand that held her ring around, blushing and tearing up in happiness. Rukia had to admit, the ring was beautiful. It had belonged to Izuru's grandmother who had given it to him when he was young. Izuru kept it all the while and when he found the right girl, he'd given it to her. It was a two carat diamond ring that had an antique finesse to it. It simply glittered on her finger.

Right now, Momo was looking at it lovingly.

"Earth to Momo," sang Tatsuki, in apparent annoyance. It seemed like she'd heard this story too many times and had had enough of it. Momo snapped back to reality.

"What?" she scowled.

Looks like Tatsuki ruined a good moment there, thought Rukia.

"I'm sure Rukia needs to know about other things than just the proposal," Tatsuki said, rolling her eyes. They were all walking to Momo and Izuru's apartment to check out Momo's wedding dress.

Rukia silently agreed but kept quiet. Frankly, Rukia too was preoccupied in the mind. Therefore, she felt like contributing very little to the conversation. She was happy to let Momo do all the talking and just nodded along at the right time.

"_They're… still uh… together… Ichigo and Orihime."_

She hadn't slept the previous night because of those words. They rankled at her, making her toss and turn in her sheets, unable to repress the memories that plagued her mind. Part of her still wondered at how she'd made it back to the hotel in one piece. She felt dazed and surprisingly – emotionless - after she'd heard the news from Momo. She didn't even know what happened the rest of the time she was with her friends.

She could only think that the part of her brain that still seemed to function took control and guided her limbs back to the hotel and into the bed.

Once she was on it, the floodgates opened. Emotions came crashing down on her, making her cling on to the pillows for dear, sweet life. It hit her hard, just then, that she was completely alone.

When it rains, it pours.

She cried then stopped. She tossed and turned. Then cried again. Then tossed and turned some more. And like that, she felt morning arrive.

Almost mechanically it seemed, she got up off the bed, straightened out the mattress and sheets (force of habit), wished her sister a good morning (she had brought the picture along), and hit the shower.

She felt nothing. She was numb.

The previous night, she didn't have the strength to call Shuuhei like he'd asked her to, so she sent him a message saying that she was alright and bid him goodnight, leaving no room for further communication. She had done the same with her brother. She just wanted to curl up in her bed and stay there.

She checked her phone and found a couple of messages on voice mail. She heard them all patiently, one by one and answered them accordingly. One particular message was from Momo who said she would be coming to her hotel to escort her back to her apartment. Momo wanted to show her the wedding dress.

She sat in the silence of her room for about an hour then called for room service. They brought her breakfast and she ate, half-heartedly.

Rukia chose a pair of faded grey coloured jeans, navy blue blouse and a blue trench coat that fit her quite well. She wore her favourite sneakers and sat waiting, ready.

_They're still together…_

Seven years, they had been together. She didn't even know how to feel.

_Inoue Orihime and Kurosaki Ichigo… my once best friend and once boyfriend, together for all the time I was out of their lives…_

How should she feel? Hurt? Confused? Shocked?

She just didn't know. Maybe she felt all of it and maybe she felt nothing. All she knew was, whatever she _was_ feeling, made her want to run away from it all. Run away from everything and everyone she'd ever known in her life. It made her want to stop being Kuchiki Rukia, and be someone else, anyone else.

One part of her knew that they would be together long before she heard it from Momo. She had known it then, when he'd cheated on her. The fundamental thing about growing up and being friends with Inoue Orihime was that, she was obviously beautiful, even as a child. She had the hair and the body that would make any idol jealous. She always got the attention from the guys, even if she didn't notice it. She was just too innocent and naïve to be aware of the effect she had on people.

Rukia had not been jealous, no, not particularly of her best friend. She was just over-shadowed. Rukia never complained about it because she didn't like being the centre of attention what-so-ever. As they grew up, it did start to get a little tedious for her, to be known as the "smarter one" of the two.

_Ichigo must really love her… of course he would… why wouldn't he? _

Orihime had everything that any guy would want. Rukia didn't think that Ichigo would be one of those "guys".

The front desk called saying that Momo was waiting for her in the lobby. Rukia clutched the arm of the chair she was sitting in. She… was scared. She didn't want to be hurt any more. She can't handle being hurt anymore. There were already too many cracks in her facade, a few more would completely tear her apart.

And she knew, the next time she saw either Ichigo or Orihime, she would have no idea how to react. Just the thought of either of them made her blood boil. She was angry. She was so very angry.

She was finally able to put a name to her emotions: hate.

She hated them. She hated them both. But mostly, she hated _him_. She would never forgive him. She was done with him. She would leave as soon as the wedding was over. And she would never come back.

It was enough for her to hold on to the hate. By holding on to that hate, she could feel safe around them; she could not be harmed. As long as she hated, she would be able to walk away unscathed.

She went to meet Momo.

Momo talked and talked and she just listened. But it didn't register in her brain. She was taking it all in through one ear and passing it out through the other. It was like an out-of-body experience. She was there but she didn't _feel_ like she was there. She saw no colours, she heard no sound, she barely felt the road beneath her feet.

"Hey," said Momo, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face her. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned. "You're awfully quiet."

Rukia smiled, mechanically. "Of course I'm alright. How can I not be? I'm with my friends after all."

Momo and Tatsuki exchanged a surprised look between them. "A-Are you sure? Because you don't sound okay to me," said Momo and Tatsuki nodded in agreement.

Rukia smiled some more. "I'm fine. Let's go see your wedding dress. I just know it'll be beautiful," she said, with a hopeful look on her face.

Her friends frowned. They both had the same thought: Something is wrong.

They started walking again and within a couple of more minutes, reached a large apartment complex close to the edge of the town. It had a large sign that said, "Karakura Apartments".

Momo led them into the posh building and pushed the button to the elevator. It dinged open and they got in. Momo pressed the button with the number eleven on it. A few seconds later, the elevator doors dinged open again, this time at the eleventh floor. They got out and walked through a long hallway, finally stopping at a door with the number 58 embedded on it.

Momo unlocked the door and stepped inside. Rukia found herself in a neatly furnished living room where the curtains matched the furniture and the entire place had an air of comfort. Momo took her on a tour of the apartment which had a bedroom, a bath, a kitchen and a dining room, on the lower level and a bedroom and bath with an extended balcony on the upper floor. It was very well furnished and was very clean. Rukia immediately liked it and told Momo as much.

Momo and Izuru would do well together, she thought.

"Come on," Momo said excitedly, "I'll show you the dress." She climbed up the stairs and led her to the bedroom and into a large closet.

"Won't Izuru notice the dress here?" she asked in spite of herself. The closet was large but it was still the closet she shared with her fiancé.

"He's been banned from the closet ever since I got the dress. He keeps his clothes in the other room," she said, grinning widely.

Rukia heard the doorbell ring all of a sudden.

Momo, who was carefully opening a large cardboard box that was the size of a small refrigerator, looked up at her. Tatsuki was in the kitchen, getting drinks for them all.

"I'll get it," Rukia said. She went to the front door, grabbed the door knob and pulled.

She found Inoue Orihime outside the door. Her grip on the door knob tightened immediately. A rush of dislike came over her and she fought against herself to keep the dislike showing from on her face.

Inoue Orihime, on the other hand, looked like she'd just seen a ghost. She paled visibly and gulped.

"Orihime…" said a voice behind Rukia, startling them both. It was Tatsuki, carrying a tray of drinks. She had sensed the tense atmosphere and decided to break it up.

"T-Tatsuki-chan…" Orihime said, finding her voice at last. She looked at Rukia, timidly, almost as if she were afraid to face her.

All three women had the same thoughts in their mind - the last time that Rukia and Orihime had spoken; the day Rukia had found out about Orihime and Ichigo. The feelings, however, that each of them felt was drastically different. It was shown clearly on their faces.

"Inoue-san," Rukia said, in a low voice and opened the wider to let her in. She moved in, flinching at the sound of Rukia's voice. She shut the door and turned around.

There was pin-drop silence in the room. Tatsuki had no words to offer. This situation was too tense to make an abrupt change.

Rukia looked at Inoue full in the face, locking her purple eyes with Orihime's grey ones. Orihime looked beautiful, more so than she had been in high school. She looked like a capable woman but still had the same warmth and gentleness that Rukia remembered.

She also remembered other things, happy things that made her like the woman standing before her to an extent of sisterhood. They were all pushed aside by a single thought in her head.

_This was the woman that Ichigo loved._

"How are you?" Orihime asked her. Her voice was barely audible.

"I'm fine, thank you," Rukia replied, sounding severely cold, not looking away from her eyes. She saw a flutter of emotions there when she heard her answer.

Orihime was at a stalemate. She'd thought that Rukia would take the initiative to exchange pleasantries with her but Rukia stayed silent, observing her. Truth be told, Rukia was trying to curb her emotions. They wanted her to do something violent to her former best friend, like kicking her out and slamming the door in her face or walking out of the apartment not wanting to breathe the same air as her, with the intention of hurting her as much as she could.

"Guys…" Momo's loud voice drifted over to them all the way from the upper floor. "Who is it?"

"Let's go inside," Tatsuki suggested. She did not like what was happening. Rukia was definitely angry and Orihime definitely looked scared.

It was the sound of Momo's voice that snapped some sense into Rukia.

_What the fuck am I doing?_

She wanted to be cruel. And Rukia was never cruel, not to anyone even to those who deserved it. She had come for Momo. She didn't want to cause problems by bringing up unnecessary things and ruin the best week of Momo's life.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Yeah, you're right," to Tatsuki, who looked relieved. "Let's go" she added to the both of them and walked up the stairs.

Orihime and Tatsuki looked bewildered at the sudden change in her person but was glad for it; especially Orihime.

Maybe things can be changed, she thought.

She remembered the inebriated Ichigo from the night before. It was then that she realised that she could not have both of them in her life. It would have to be either Rukia or Ichigo.

Never both…

* * *

><p>Ichigo woke up feeling like his head was on fire. He was lying on his couch, still in the clothes from yesterday, but someone had covered him up with a blanket and put a pillow under his head.<p>

He didn't have to guess who. It was the only other person who had a key to his apartment.

Orihime

He sat up with difficulty, his head throbbing with every movement he made. His mouth felt exceptionally dry and he suppressed the urge to think about his stomach. He felt like he was going to puke any second.

He slumped onto the couch, breathing in and out, trying to relax.

_What the hell happened last night?_

He didn't remember a goddamned thing. Well, he did remember certain things. The meeting at the park flashed into his mind. Every detail of it was clear to him. She walked away from him again. He remembered being so upset, so very distressed, that he didn't think he'd be able to make it home in one piece. Mostly because he knew Orihime would be waiting at home.

He couldn't face her, not in his current state, not looking broken and lost.

Without really thinking about it, he walked into a pub which he passed everyday but hadn't really given it a second thought, until then. It had an old fashioned interior with some light music playing in the background.

He had a few shots, just to feed some strength into him. Before he knew it, he had downed half a bottle of Jack Daniels in a matter of minutes. He paid and left and felt unsteady on his legs. But he walked anyway, taking his time, just wandering to wherever his feet were taking him.

He reached his apartment. Then, everything was a blur. He was afraid of whatever he had done after that. What did he say? He hoped to God that he didn't say anything about Rukia to his girlfriend, particularly about seeing her again. He did not want that.

There was a knock on his door. It hurt his ears. Slowly, he got up off the couch and went to open the door. When he did, he found himself looking into the severely disgruntled face of Ishida Uryu.

He didn't say a word as he walked into the apartment. Ichigo shut the door and faced him.

"Who told you?" Ichigo asked, his voice sounding raspy.

Uryu didn't answer but continued to glower at him.

"Was it Orihime or was it Tatsuki?" he rasped again, "Who was it? Just tell me."

"Does it matter?" Uryu asked, sounding extremely angry. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Look Uryu, it's not a big deal. So I got a little drunk. It's not the end of the world, okay?"

Ichigo sat down on his couch again and took off his shoes and socks. Uryu stood where he was, surveying his every movement.

"A little drunk? Tatsuki said you could barely stand! Oh shut up! (Ichigo had an "Aha!" moment here) You met her, didn't you? You met Rukia."

Ichigo looked at him, stunned. Uryu took that as a yes.

"What happened?" Uryu asked him, in a softer voice.

It cost him an effort to say it but he did. "She walked away from me. She didn't want to talk to me."

Uryu had expected as much. He sat down on the couch next to Ichigo.

"Do you think the two of you can make it to the end of the week?" he asked Ichigo.

"I don't know. I just don't know."

Ichigo's worst fear was confirmed. He had blabbered to Orihime about seeing Rukia at the park.

_How am I going to fix this now?_

After some time, Uryu spoke, "You know, I've never asked you this but… why did you cheat on Rukia back then?"

Ichigo bristled at Uryu's choice of words. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, in a cold tone.

Uryu stood up, looking twice as angry as when he first came in. "I don't know what's going on in that head of yours but whatever it is, stop it. Forget about Rukia, let her go. Just leave her and move on, okay?"

At this point, he could no longer continue because Ichigo had stood up and grabbed his shirt, anger etched in his face.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" he snarled.

Uryu pulled his hand off the shirt and said in a voice of forced calm, "She knows that you and Inoue-san have been together for seven years."

Ichigo looked stumped. Uryu continued, "What do you think she thinks about that? You cheated on her with her best friend and for seven years you've been in a relationship with her. Think, what would you think if you were her?"

Ichigo merely collapsed onto the couch, the strength leaving his legs.

"Yeah…" Uryu said, talking softly once again. "She'll think that you've always loved Inoue-san, from the beginning. So, I'm asking you, whatever it is that you think you want, forget about it. Make it to the end of the week, and then you can go back to your own life."

"What if I don't want that?"

A strained silence followed.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki," said Uryu, his hand on the door knob, "It's over…"

He closed the door behind him, leaving Ichigo alone with his thoughts.

_**There is a lot of angst flying around.**_

_**Next chapter will be more lively, I think.**_

_**Hope you liked it. Please review.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**LittleRuu: Dude if this is how you rant then I have no problems with it. I did not expect this story to be taken half as seriously as it already is so thank you for the rant. And no, you're not selfish. It's completely your choice. I may be writing about it but I can't comprehend the hurt you must have felt. But I hope that's all in the past for you now. **

**And no, you didn't miss anything. I haven't revealed the "cause" yet.**

**There is a certain way that I wanted to speak about the past and it's not the time for that yet. So, I hope you all will be patient. Xoxo (I like Gossip Girl too )**

**Jorie: Just... thank you!  
><strong>

**Please be patient :)**

**And once again, thank you everyone for taking the time to read this fic. It means the world to me. Also for all the alerts … thank you. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.**

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T**

**Tell Me You Love Me**

**Chapter 7**

**Shuuhei  
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Hisagi Shuuhei was thinking about Rukia. He thought of her so often that he couldn't concentrate on anything else, least of all work. He was slowly starting to learn about the business process of being the head of the Hisagi Food Corp and he felt himself enjoying it. His father was more than pleased with his enthusiasm and had invited him along to attend board meetings and introduced him to some of the clients of the corporation. Everything was going well and his father couldn't be more proud of Shuuhei. Hell, just seeing him study hard for the exams was good enough for the old man.

Today however, seated across from his son, at a board meeting with the directors, he couldn't help but see a distant, almost blank look on Shuuhei's face. He frowned, it almost seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else at this moment.

He ignored it, thinking that he would talk it out with his son as soon as the meeting was over. He focused his attention on the meeting at hand.

His father was right. Shuuhei did wish he were somewhere else at the moment. That was exactly what he was thinking, not even giving the slightest attention to what was being discussed in the room. He was thinking about Rukia.

Shuuehi felt somewhat guilty at not being at Karakura Town with her, like she'd wanted him to be. His father had given him some work and he decided to stay behind and finish it. He had no idea how difficult it truly was for his friend. The very evening she had reached her former hometown, she had called him, in a state of panic and fear, scaring him out of his mind. He felt a pang back then. However, he managed to console her. She stayed, thanking him for it in the process.

He never felt guiltier. It was he who had suggested that she go back to Karakura and attend her friends' wedding, knowing full well what it would mean if she did. She had told him about the former best friend and boyfriend who went behind her back. He left her alone, feeling like he'd let her down when she needed him the most.

And last night, he hit an all-time low. She had sent him a message that made his chest clench tight in pain.

"_Just got back from meeting old gang! Everyone was great! Had a great time with them. _

_PS. also heard that they're still together. I'm going to bed. Talk later."_

They're still together…

He could not fully comprehend just what she would be going through right now. He only knew that he should be there with her, holding her hand, comforting her, telling her that she is not alone and she could lean on him if she wanted to.

_What am I doing? Sitting in a meeting, talking about share prices and stock options?_

_What am I doing?_

* * *

><p>Rukia's days seemed to have no meaning. It was as though all of her mornings and nights seemed to have coalesced into one long day which would come to an end only after Momo's wedding. She was keeping herself that busy. By doing that, she didn't have to spend time with her thoughts.<p>

And there were a myriad of things to do. Momo made sure of that. Orihime was her Maid of Honour and Tatsuki and a couple of cousins were her bridesmaids. And even so, there were a lot of things that still needed to be done. Momo took Rukia to the hotel that she had Kira would be married at, a luxury hotel called The Park. It had a beautiful garden where the ceremony would take place.

Izuru's parents were wealthy and spared no expense for their only son's wedding. And they adored Momo so she was pleased with their help.

It is no wonder that the wedding "industry" was a billion dollar industry, because weddings, as Rukia realised, wasn't all about saying "I do". There were gifts, flowers, dresses, centre pieces and tables and colour patterns and seating arrangements and table arrangements and approving menus and tasting cakes and many other things that made Rukia wonder if getting married was worth it in the end.

As each day passed, she pushed herself into any kind of errand that would be of help to Momo. Everyone decided to stay busy.

And as such, it was on a Friday that everyone decided to have a bachelor party for Kira. To everyone's disappointment (except Momo's), he didn't want one. His exact words were, "I'm not that kind of guy." Momo also refused her bachelorette party and so the rest of the gang decided to join up together and throw them a party at a night club.

It was decided.

Rukia woke up that morning well rested and feeling like it was going to be a good day. She had not come into contact with either Ichigo or Orihime after her initial meeting with both of them. It was all good.

She spent the day with Chad and Renji at the hotel, going over the final guest list and seating charts which Momo and Izuru had confirmed. Then, when it was close to six in the evening, she got back to the hotel to dress up for the evening.

Rukia chose a black jegging which shimmered ever so slightly as it hugged the curves of her legs. She matched it with a purple v-necked top and a black beaded necklace which reached her navel. On top of that she added a deep blue, elbow-length sleeved leather jacket which fit her perfectly. To finish off the look, she wore sleek black gladiator style stilettos and carried a small black leather clutch.

She looked in the mirror. She gave her eyes a smoky look and wore cherry flavoured lip gloss. That was about it. She looked okay in her opinion and since her outfit was comfortable, she decided to go with it.

The hotel had called her a cab which would take her to Momo and Izuru's apartment. They had decided to go to the night club together as a group.

She was starting to get nervous again. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm her nerves. She would be facing him again, in front of all their friends. She had to behave. She didn't know how to behave, she just knew she had to put on a good face and pretend that everything was fine with her.

_Was there even a point in doing so? They'd see right through my act anyway._

She sighed.

"_You can do this… I know you can…" _

If only Shuuhei were here, she wouldn't feel so alone.

If only Shuuhei were here, she'd be able to face Ichigo.

* * *

><p>Momo, Izuru and the others were waiting for Rukia to arrive. She wasn't late; it was just that the rest of them were early. They haven't had a legitimate reason for getting drunk quite like this. So, they were all excited.<p>

Only Ichigo looked nervous. He didn't know it but his thoughts were exactly the same as his ex-girlfriend's. He was scared of facing her again, right in front of Orihime and the others. The last time they were all in the same place together was the day that he would never forget for the rest of his life; for it was the day that Rukia walked out on him.

Orihime was watching Ichigo become more and more nervous as the time moved on. She didn't know what to expect from their reunion, not after the effect their last meeting had on her boyfriend. She could only wait and watch.

Renji, Tatsuki, Uryu, Chad and the happy couple were chatting amongst themselves, excited to enjoy the evening ahead of them. They seemed to notice the orange-haired friends seated quietly in the room. They also decided to wait. It was all they could do.

After a few seconds, the doorbell rang. Momo went to open it. As they had all expected, it was Rukia.

She walked in looking nervous more than anything and was greeted by everyone, even Orihime.

"Inoue-san" she said, acknowledging her. A second later, she turned to Ichigo and added a "Kurosaki-san" to him, not wanting to be rude by ignoring him.

He merely gave a stiff nod. Frankly, Ichigo was in no position to speak to her. His nervousness hit a high, making it difficult for him to stand steadily in her presence.

She looked stunning.

She looked mature, sophisticated and sexy all at the same time and Ichigo saw in her a well-bred young woman who any guy would be lucky to have. Her eyes were so beautiful and they matched perfectly with the top she was wearing. Her hair was high and bobbed well on her head. However, he would have felt better if she hadn't acknowledged him at all for the way she said his name hurt him more than anything. Not once had she ever called him anything "Kurosaki san".

"Well, shall we all get going then?" asked Momo, pleased with the way things turned out.

At least they're civil to each other, she thought.

"Yeah…" they all agreed in various stages of excitement.

They exited the apartment and climbed into Renji's SUV. It was a tight fit but nobody complained.

Rukia's heart was pounding. And she knew it was Ichigo making her heart pound. He was sporting an open-collar silk black shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, black slacks and comfortable looking dress shoes. His eyes were smouldering, as was the scowl on his face which somehow seemed to enhance his good looks. He looked fantastic. Especially with Orihime standing next to him, looking gorgeous in a little grey number that matched her eyes.

She couldn't help but be jealous. That sinking, crushing feeling in her chest returned, making her want to curl up in her bed, away from everyone.

They were moving and the vehicle was filled with mindless chatter and loud music. But she stayed silent.

A couple of minutes later, she was looking at a large building with "Havana" written on it in neon lights. Rukia had never seen it before.

"It only opened up a few years ago," Renji told her, as she gazed at the club.

"You guys come here often?" she asked him.

"Most of us don't do night clubs," Renji said, "We only get drunk in bars, like gentlemen," he said grinning widely.

Rukia laughed. They all had jobs now and Uryu was the only one who was still studying (med school) so they didn't have the time to get together as often as they'd like to.

As she was talking to Renji and the others, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see who it was. She was shocked, rooted to the spot, as she was staring into the face of Hisagi Shuuhei.

After all this time of missing him, there he was, standing before her, just like that, grinning widely at her stunned-looking face.

Rukia didn't think but just flung herself at him, into his waiting arms as she held on to the piece of home she desperately wanted, that she needed. Right now, especially now, she needed him more than anything. And he hugged her back, feeling ridiculously happy at being with her again.

He practically lifted her off her feet in his excitement.

"I thought you'd come tomorrow…" she said, looking up at his face.

"I wanted to surprise you, so I drove out early," he said.

He didn't like what he saw in her eyes. They were full of pain, and it made her look older somehow. It contradicted the outfit she was wearing, which made her look quite… hot.

Then, he heard someone clear their throat, loudly. It brought Rukia to her senses and she turned around to face her friends, her face flushed from happiness. She still held on to his arm, feeling, childishly so, that he would somehow disappear if she let go of him completely.

Seven pairs of eyes stared at her in amazement. They were all surprised and curious at the stranger that Rukia seemed to like so much.

"Guys…" she said, in a breathless voice, "this is Hisagi Shuuhei."

Comprehension dawned on all their faces. She had spoken about him to all of them so many times that they felt they knew him already.

They smiled and one by one, shook hands with Shuuhei, while Rukia did the introductions.

Orihime came up to them and Rukia was so caught up in her happiness that she didn't even feel jealous anymore. She said, smiling widely, "This is Inoue Orihime," to a surprised Shuuhei.

Shuuhei was familiar with that name. He knew who she was. _She's beautiful..._

But he smiled and shook hands with her anyway. Orihime smiled at him, looking a little happy.

Lastly, only Ichigo was left and Shuuhei looked at the orange-haired stranger, immediately guessing who he was.

_This was the bastard that is causing Rukia so much pain._

Ichigo, on the other hand, felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, for he felt the wind knocked out of him. He felt a familiar anger, one that he hadn't felt in years, creep up into his senses, clouding his mind with nothing but rage. All he knew was he resented the man before him.

Had he met the stranger anywhere else, he would have befriended him. If Rukia wasn't clinging onto him like a drowning person would a life-raft, he would have no problems with him.

Rukia had looked so happy, so _easily_ happy, at seeing this person again that it hurt him to the core. Rukia obviously liked him a lot; she smiled so naturally, when she saw him.

_I'm losing her…_

It was a second before he realised, he never had her in the first place.

Tension was in the air as the two men stared at each other, sizing each other up, making everyone around them nervous. Rukia looked between them and spoke, her hand gripping Shuuhei's harder, "This is Kurosaki Ichigo."

It seemed to Ichigo that she'd almost bit out the words. "Hey," said Shuuhei, with a nod of the head.

He nodded back. "So… what's going on?" Shuuhei asked, gesturing towards the club and all of them standing outside of it.

"It's kind of a bachelor party minus the strippers," said Renji.

Shuuhei looked outraged. "What's a bachelor party without strippers?" he asked eyes wide in shock.

Rukia slapped him lightly on the arm, playfully frowning with a smile at the corner of her lips. They all laughed at that, everyone except Ichigo, she noticed. If anything, he was glaring at Shuuhei with venom in his amber eyes.

_Was he jealous? No, that can't be... but then, why does he look so... mad?_

Orihime had a sad expression on her face as she looked at Ichigo. Rukia was getting confused.

_Aren't they supposed to be in love? They've been together all this time, right?_

She put them out of her mind for she was thinking about unwanted things.

Uryu, Renji, Chad, Tatsuki, Momo and Izuru, all started to like Shuuhei already, Rukia could tell that. What she didn't know was, they liked him because _she_ was happy.

She turned to look at his face, yet again, to convince herself that he was standing there with her. Then, she noticed his attire. She laughed. He may as well have shown up for class for he was wearing his long black coat, button up shirt, black slacks and dress shoes, like usual.

"What are you wearing?" she asked, not particularly thinking about anything.

He looked down at his body, and then looked at her. He removed his coat and tie, and held it in his hands.

"Here… you can put it in my car," Renji offered, opening the door to his SUV. Shuuhei chucked it inside and Renji handed the keys to the valet who had come over to them. The valet drove away with the Range Rover.

Shuuhei was wearing a pin-striped maroon shirt made from silk and he rolled up his sleeves to the elbows. As he did, Rukia saw that he was wearing the Citizen Eco Drive watch that she'd gifted him for his birthday last year. She knew for a fact that he owned a Rolex that his father had given him but ever since he'd got the present, he'd worn the Eco Drive.

Rukia had to admit, he looked amazing. He was a perfect catch.

She was just so incredibly happy at the moment that she wouldn't be surprised if she started to float off the ground. Her happiness showed in her face, making her look more gorgeous than before. They all saw the change in her, for it was a massive change. She started to look like the Rukia from seven years ago, who was in love with Ichigo.

"Shall we head inside then?" Momo asked the group.

They nodded and started to walk toward the large bouncer, manning the entrance to the club. Ichigo was the last to go. The scowl on his face masked his thoughts and he was glad for it. He can't stand to see Rukia with another man. He couldn't take it. He left with Orihime.

Shuuhei was about to follow them when Rukia held him back. "What?" he asked surprised.

"How did you find me?" she asked him, not believing that she hadn't asked him before.

"I've checked into GRT as well," he said. "The front desk told me that you were out for the evening and so I called your brother and he told me you were at a club called Havana. So, I called a cab and … here I am."

Rukia sputtered like a goldfish out of water. "Y-You called Nii-sama and he just told you I was here?"

"I think he likes me," he said grinning mischievously at her.

Rukia could not believe it.

_Nii-sama is just full of surprises._

Rukia silently blessed her brother. He brought Shuuhei to her. How can she not be thankful?

"Rukia…" he said, sounding hesitant all of a sudden. Rukia looked at him, surprised.

"I'm sorry," he said, surprising Rukia all the more.

"Why are you apologising?" she asked him.

"I should have been here with you," he said, looking at her with sad eyes. "You look hurt," he said, gesturing to her face, especially her eyes.

Rukia sucked in a deep breath.

"Don't be sorry. I'm not. Does it even matter anymore, Shuuhei? It happened a long time ago. What's the point of talking about it anyway? He's… gone. All I can do is make it to the end of the week. Then, it's back to home-sweet-home, right?"

"I'm here with you now, okay?" he said, smiling with confidence.

He held out his hand to her in a gentlemanly manner and she took it, smiling as she did.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked, out of curiosity.

"You deserve it," he stated simply.

She laughed.

Then, the two of them walked into the club, arm in arm, feeling a lot happier than they've ever been in a long time.

_**Haaa. I did not like the last chapter. There was just too much angst and it was short and I just didn't like it at all. And this chapter and its continuation have been inside my head since I thought up the prologue. So, I wrote it out.**_

_**Hope you all like it. Please review.**_


	9. Chapter 9

Hello all you wonderful people! Sorry for the late update. Had a hectic weekend. My cousin got married and after that I fell sick. I'm only just recovering.

Hopefully this chapter will be to your liking. I haven't given it much thought.

Once again, thank you for all the reviews and all of the alerts. I can't even count the number now. It means the world to me that each and every one of you has taken the time to read this story. :)

Thank you all once again :)

Namaste!

**Crossroadsoflife:** Think of them in a Renruki kind of relationship. That's what I thought when I wrote them.

You guys are just the best! I thought the idea of ShuuheixRukia will not sit well with people but I cannot believe you guys liked it! But no worries, we're all Ichiruki, aren't we? And Ichiruki it will be… I promise. :)

**Tell Me You Love Me**

**Chapter 8**

**The Bachelor and the Bachelor Party**

Rukia had never been to a bachelor party before. She had never been to a regular party in years, you know senior prom, student-teacher mixers in college, etc. Hell, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd been out anywhere, just to have fun. She realised now that there was a first time for everything.

On entering the night club called Havana, she saw just what she was in for tonight. One look inside and she thought:

_This is NOT my cup of tea…_

The interior was a single, vast room which was dimly lit. The glass topped dance floor glowed a bland white acting as a light source to the room, on which gyrated a sea of bodies swaying to blaringly loud music dished out by a DJ. The DJ was a rather skinny man who stood on an elevated platform at the far end of the dance floor.

Rukia nearly walked back out after a first glance of this rather unwelcome sight; booze and booze-filled people flailing their arms about and calling it "dance". She would have traded her right arm just to be back at the hotel, nestled in bed with a good book. Or better yet, spend the night chatting and catching up with Shuuhei.

However, she followed the group into the club, reluctantly.

Pushed against the four walls of the club, were comfortable-looking leather couches and chairs. Most of them were already occupied by people, who Rukia guessed, were taking a break from dancing the night away. But luckily, she and her friends found seats with a good view of the dance floor and which were also close to the bar.

"It's loud in here," yelled Momo, over Pitbull's "Give me everything" pounding out of the speakers.

Rukia nodded. She sat down on a couch and relaxed. Shuuhei took a seat next to her, watching with interest the scantily clad bodies of women as they danced. Rukia snorted.

Clearly, none of them were the partying type but they were a bunch of people who were ready for anything.

"I'm going to go get us some drinks," said Renji, also with his eyes on the dance floor.

Tatsuki elbowed him in the ribs causing him to force his gaze back at her, yelping out in pain of course.

"What? I can't even look?" he said, rubbing his aching ribs with his palms.

"Hell no," said Tatsuki very, very clearly. Rukia smiled and cheered for Tatsuki on the inside.

Oh yes, Renji and Tatsuki were indeed a couple. Rukia always knew that their friendship would turn into romance one day. She wasn't surprised when she'd heard of it from Tatsuki. She was just – bloody happy for them.

When Tatsuki had made herself absolutely clear to Renji that he is to maintain "Tunnel vision" for the next couple of hours, he walked over to the bar after everyone told him what they wanted to drink. Chad went with him. Rukia didn't want alcohol. What she wanted was to leave (she didn't say that, of course). Shuuhei shot her a glare when she declined.

"I'll be back," he told her, getting up. He moved past people to make his way to the bar.

Rukia frowned, wondering what he was up to.

_Sure… Arnold…_

"Come on Orihime, let's dance," said Kurosaki Ichigo's voice, startling Rukia. She'd almost forgotten about his presence here with them. She blinked.

_Did I… forget… that he was here…?_

_No freaking way…!_

Orihime seemed delighted and took his offered hand and walked over to the dance floor. Rukia watched Ichigo and Orihime place their arms around each other and started to move along with the tunes of Usher, this time.

She tried to force her eyes away from the sight. It was difficult. To her, it was the actual proof of their relationship together. She _knew_ they were a couple. Now, however, she had the evidence of it. The happiness which she felt when she had seen Shuuhei again felt like it was slowly being washed away. And it was being replaced with a mixture of anger, sadness and outright hate for the couple.

It wasn't long before Izuru and Momo followed Ichigo and Orihime's example and moved to the dance floor as well. Rukia was left with Tatsuki and Uryu.

Uryu was watching Ichigo and Orihime the same way that she had been watching them. She'd recognise that look anywhere. It was a look of disdain. And because she knew she had the very same look on her face.

Rukia slid closer to him on the couch, making him look at her in surprise.

"So…" she said, looking closely at him. "How do you feel about all this?" she asked, tilting her lead slightly at the orange-haired couple.

Shock was etched on his face, if only for a moment. He was quick to recover but not quick enough to hide his surprise at her question.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, straightening his glasses, looking away from her.

"You can cut the theatrics Uryu," Rukia said, watching him closely, "I've always known you have a soft spot for Orihime."

Uryu looked back at her so fast that Rukia was surprised he didn't crick his neck.

"H-How…?" he managed to ask, eyes round and mouth open.

"I have eyes, don't I?" she said, rolling them in her head. There was a moment when they just looked at each other, the silence saying more than words ever could.

They were both in the same position. Both of them were pining away for people who they knew would never become theirs. They could only be bystanders and watch as the people they wanted went further and further out of their reach. She put a consolatory hand on his and gripped it, tenderly. She tried to put a lot of unsaid things into that gesture and perhaps she was successful for he smiled. It was a small, meek smile but a smile nonetheless.

Rukia smiled back.

"Alright, what did I miss?" said Shuuhei's voice, and as she looked up at his tall figure, saw that he was holding a drink in each hand.

Rukia raised her eyebrows. "Meet someone at the bar already, Hisagi?" she asked, a hint of coolness behind her voice.

"This one's for you short-stack," he said, completely unfazed by her narrowed eyes which would have scared a braver man. He held out one glass which had a few cubes of ice and a murky brown liquid in it.

"I don't want it," she said, anger rising up quickly at how she had to repeat herself. If she wanted a drink she would very well asked for one, wouldn't she?

Shuuhei acted as though she hadn't spoken at all. He just stood his ground, holding out the drink to her, not saying a word.

Rukia was getting more annoyed by the second. What is wrong with Shuuhei all of a sudden? He had locked eyes with her and she was taken aback when she saw something akin to determination shimmering in his aqua eyes. Then, her eyes moved slowly and in her peripheral vision she saw Ichigo and Orihime, their arms locked together in an embrace as they danced. They were both smiling.

The sadness and anger flared up inside her.

_Son of a bitch! That's it!_

"Give me that!" she said, pulling the drink out of Shuuhei's hand and downing it in one gulp. This was a bad idea as her mouth seared with the after effects, burning her throat in the process.

"What's in that?" she asked coughing, her voice coming out in rasps.

"It's scotch on the rocks with a twist," he answered, holding back laughter at her reaction.

"What are you, forty?" she asked him, annoyed. She licked her lips.

_On second thought, this is pretty good. _She did like the taste of it in her mouth now, once she got used to it.

Shuuhei grinned. I knew you'd like it, he thought.

"What the heck is everyone doing?" Renji said, in a booming voice. "_Let's daaaaance_!" he yelled.

Perhaps it was the alcohol in her, but all of a sudden, she felt daring. She got up, feeling incredibly energised and open-minded.

For the next half hour, she danced with Renji, Uryu, Chad, and Izuru. Shuuhei took a seat on a leather couch, sipping his own drink. He declined offers from many women who had come on to him. He wasn't interested in any of them. His eyes were fixed on Kuchiki Rukia.

Being friends with her for the past year, he thought he knew quite a lot about her. He _did _know a lot about her. But for the first time, he realised that there was more to her than he could ever imagine. First off, he realised that she had weaknesses. She had shown him different sides of her personality that she'd normally kept hidden from everyone else. She changed from someone who looked formidable to someone who needed a shoulder to lean on and cry. He saw these changes, gradually. But tonight, seeing her dressed like she was, drinking and partying with her friends, he felt he had to know this side of her too. He thought this was the woman she would be if she hadn't been screwed over by her friends.

Her cheeks were flushed, her were eyes dancing on their own, making them sparkle even more and there was a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She even danced well, with the soft grace and ease.

_I am sooo attracted to her right now…_

He couldn't believe it. He was _attracted_ to Kuchiki Rukia. He appreciated her friendship and enjoyed hanging out with her for she was an actual friend. She was a great help for him in studying and he genuinely cared about her for who she was. She didn't take crap from anyone and he felt he could lean on her back then. Now, she needed someone to lean on, a predicament he never thought would come about, and he wanted to be that person for her. Without a doubt, that was what he wanted.

It was then that he saw something that brought him to his feet in an instant, without really thinking about doing so.

"_Shit!"_

He moved immediately.

* * *

><p>Unknown to Rukia or Shuuhei, a pair of amber eyes have been following her ever since the arrival of her now best friend. They were fixated on her more than Shuuhei's had been all night. The amber eyes flashed a different emotion based on the circumstances Rukia had been in; like when she had talked to Uryu and gripped his hand in understanding, the eyes were narrowed in suspicion and distrust. When she'd danced with all of her other friends, they softened at her happy expression, filled with rage when her partners had touched her, if at all, while they danced and went to plain jealousy whenever she so much as looked in Shuuhei's direction.<p>

A million and one questions passed through Ichigo's mind. _What kind of relationship did they have? Are they dating? If so, then how long have they been dating? Are they in love? Rukia seemed to like that guy a lot. And he has been watching her all night, refusing to dance with any other woman. But he hasn't danced with Rukia either. What is going on?_

His body was physically moving, yes, but his mind was completely fixed on the two of them; which is probably why he didn't notice that Orihime was talking to him.

"Ichigo? Are you even listening to me?" she said, looking into his brown eyes.

"What?" he asked, feeling very distracted.

"You haven't said a word for some time now."

"Oh…" he said, looking at her but not really seeing her. "I'm kind of tired. Why don't we rest for a bit?" he suggested. It was contrary to what he wanted to do; which was to stay and keep his eyes on Rukia who was dancing with Uryu now.

Orihime knew what he was doing. It wasn't hard to miss. He had been distracted all night. But something else also rankled at her although she didn't know what it was. She was starting to get irritated long before she realised Ichigo wasn't paying attention to her. But what that something was… she needed to find out.

"I'm hungry. I'm going to get us something from the bar, okay?" she said, not really answering him and not waiting for an answer either. She turned around and was swallowed by the crowd, leaving Ichigo on the dance floor.

He turned to move as well, feeling like a mess when he bumped into someone else.

"Watch where you're going, you – "

"Oh, I'm so sorry – "

They both spoke at the same time and stopped at the same time for each had recognised the other's voice.

Once again, deep purple met glowing amber. The reactions, this time, were different. One had a look of surprise and elation while the other was filled contempt and anger. Ichigo was surprised and Rukia was pissed.

They just stood there, staring at each other. Ichigo's heart pounded inside his chest. It drowned out the sound of music and chatter and dimmed everyone's presence around him. He saw – only her.

Rukia found herself staring into those eyes again. She felt so angry at that. She was angry, so very angry. It showed in her face and he noticed. He saw the look of contempt and hate that she held for him. He reeled in shock.

_She hates me…_

His mouth opened to form words but nothing came out. It brought back familiar words to him: _Don't ever speak to me again._ He felt twice as stunned as he was back then.

_Punch him!_ A voice inside Rukia's head commanded her. She balled up one fist; ready to strike. It is long overdue, she thought. She vaguely wondered if Inoue would still love him if his nose wasn't dead centre in his face.

She almost raised her fist when she felt another arm grabbing her own. She turned to the side and saw Shuuhei.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, delicately. He looked between them, silently fuming on the inside at the tension that sparked between Rukia and her ex-boyfriend. He had seen her bump into the last person he wanted her to speak to; and he knew he had to stop it, for Rukia's sake.

Rukia relaxed, somewhat. She looked at Shuuhei and said, "No, there's no problem." She may as well have said, "He's not a problem." That's what it sounded like to Ichigo. He also noticed how the blue-haired bastard still had his hand on Rukia's arm.

Shuuhei on the other hand, gave a small tug to that arm, effectively making Rukia fall into his arms and moving slightly away from a seething Ichigo.

"What are you doing?" Rukia asked, startled by his behaviour.

"Dance with me," he stated, smiling slightly, his eyes dancing in excitement. And she did.

Now, Kuchiki Rukia would never grind with anyone. Period.

She wouldn't grind with Shuuhei either. He didn't come on to her or try anything weird. He just showed her a good time. Rukia threw caution to the winds and allowed him to have control. So, she spent her time getting buzzed at the bar, and then dancing again with him, getting buzzed, then dancing and so on and so forth.

And boy… did she have fun.

Ichigo's amber eyes were narrowed into slits, as he watched them, dancing together, laughing and conversing together. It was like they were oblivious to the outside world now that they were in each other's presence.

Shuuhei was continuously rambling while Rukia had clasped her hands around her stomach, laughing to no end, even as they danced.

It gave him the savage urge to pummel something into smithereens.

Without really thinking, he went over to the bar and had a couple of shots of vodka.

He just sat there… thinking…

* * *

><p>It was close to 2 am when the party made it out of the night club. Everyone, apart from Ichigo and Orihime, were wasted.<p>

The husband and wife to be had pulled a "Shuuhei and Rukia"; getting buzzed and dancing all night. Renji and Tatsuki could barely stand, although Tatsuki seemed in slightly better shape than Renji at the moment. Uryu had hooked up with a woman an hour before and had left with her. Chad was sober enough to catch a cab all the way back to his place without actually passing out in it on the way.

But the worst of the group were:

"_I would do anything for you… I would climb mountains…!"_ sang Shuuhei at the top of his voice, swaying on his feet, as he held Rukia by the arms who looked to be in about the same condition as he was in.

Rukia was smiling at him, not knowing which planet she was in. She just felt like smiling.

"_I would swim all the oceans bluuuuuuue…!"_ Shuuhei sang and in effect, ruining David Bowie's fantastic top notes.

He swung her around in his drunken stupor earning a laugh from her.

"_Shing with me,"_ he said with difficulty.

Rukia obliged. _"I would walk a thousand miles… revealing my secrets… more than enough for me to shaaaare…!" _

Ichigo was gritting his teeth at this unwelcome "show" they were putting on outside. People were starting to look at them, some staring, and some laughing, at the dizzy, disoriented group.

The singing duo was swirling around on the path, moving away from the rest. They seemed to have forgotten where they were and the people around them.

The valet brought the Range Rover to the front and Ichigo, with increasing difficulty, got everyone inside and shut the doors.

He handed the keys to Orihime and said, "Here… drop Momo and Izuru at their place, drop Renji next and drive to Tatsuki's and stay there. I'll come and get you, okay?"

She nodded. She wondered what he was going to do. He answered her before she questioned him.

"I'm going after Sonny and Cher over there," he said, pointing at the performing duo on the sidewalk, moving further away from them. "I'll put them in a cab and make sure they get to their hotel safely. It won't take long, I promise," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek and pivoting.

She did the same.

Ichigo was walking towards Rukia and Shuuhei and saw the Range Rover taking off down the road.

"Alright, that's enough!" he said, grabbing them both. It was easy, like taking care of children. He led them by the hand, waved over a cab and got them into it.

However, just like children, they wouldn't shut up. There was more singing, loud singing, in the cab.

_Oh joy…_

It was a fifteen minute drive, but it felt a lot longer to Ichigo. He could only come to one conclusion after that cab ride with the both of them:

_I'm never having kids!_

Again, he led them by the hand, into the hotel. They just wouldn't shut up! And Ichigo's patience was wearing thin.

The concierge gave him their respective room numbers and pushed the button to the elevator for him. He mumbled thanks and got in. It looked like the concierge didn't want them waking up the entire hotel and wanted to hurry them into their rooms.

Ten minutes later, he put Shuuhei in his room but it seemed he didn't want Rukia to leave. Ichigo pushed Shuuhei onto the bed and threw the covers over him, wanting to be rid of him.

He slammed the door shut on his way out and Rukia gripped his arm with both of her own. He gulped and looked down at her. Without his arm for support, she'd be face down on the floor.

"Shhh!" she said, looking adorably angry. "You'll wake everyone up!" she said in a loud whisper.

She looked so cute that he smiled.

Surprisingly, she smiled back at him. He was even more surprised and felt his heart flutter for the first time after meeting her again.

She reached up and put a hand to his face, making him jump at the sudden contact and because that simple touch sent wave after wave of tingles down his body.

"I've always liked your smile," she said, gently. She was slurring her words but he understood what she said.

His smile was somewhat fixed on his face after she said that. He cleared his throat and led her toward her room.

He opened the door and accompanied her in. He was very nervous. He was putting Rukia into bed; of course he'd be nervous.

He gulped and got down to his knees as she sat down on the bed. He took off her shoes and leather jacket and gently urged her onto the mattress.

She moved to his touch and lay in bed, staring at him. He didn't know if she was really seeing him but he liked having her eyes on him. He put away the discarded clothing and pulled up the covers over her.

By that time, she'd already fallen asleep.

He huffed. This was not good. She was incredibly vulnerable to him now. He sat down next to her and looked at her sleeping form; so serene and calm and beautiful.

He pushed the hair out of her face, enjoying the smooth skin of her face. He didn't know just how much he'd missed doing this. He traced his fingers on her eyebrows, down her nose, reacquainting himself with her face. She was breathing evenly, falling deeper into her slumber.

He kept running his hands softly over her head, like he used to when they were together. She had done it to him all the time. She'd run her fingers through his untidy hair. She always told him that she was trying to straighten it out, but he knew better.

He smiled at the pleasant memory.

She sighed in contentment. Ichigo pulled back his hand immediately. She was drunk and passed out; he shouldn't be anywhere close to her, let alone touching her face while she slept.

It didn't matter how much he wanted the right to be able to do this to her, he knew he just couldn't.

He also knew that this would probably be the last time he would be able to touch her. It pained him so much that it over whelmed him for a second. He didn't know if he had the strength to walk out of her room.

In a final act, he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. He was saying goodbye. Then, he heard it.

A name… which came out of her mouth… in a contented sigh.

_His name…_

She spoke his name… softly, pleasantly, lovingly…

He didn't think twice.

He bent down and kissed her on the lips.

_**Hope you liked this one. Please review**_.


	10. Chapter 10

**I have the kindest readers ever! Thank you so very much for your reviews and alerts. **

**Danceofthewhitemoon: Thank you for giving this fic a chance. Hope you'll like the drama and the suffering here!:)**

**Zero09q: I know, I'll try not to hurt him.:)**

**Falconruki: Arigatou :) :)  
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**Yuyukawai: Thanks for coming back. You were missed. :)  
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**Zombiegirl22: You are much too kind. Thank you so much for reading. :)  
><strong>

**I also have to thank round and round we go, Crystalline arch, digzz, jorie, cAmeLkiz4, crossroadsoflife, alero1990 and jooboi1594 for the reviews and everyone else for all the alerts.**

**Thank you very much. Happy holidays everyone! And an advanced "Happy New Year" to everyone from me!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T**

**Chapter 8**

**The Day After**

Ichigo leaned down and kissed her on the lips. His eyes closed as he felt Rukia's lips against his. Teasing warmth spread down his body. They were so soft, just as he'd remembered. And yet, he was kissing her without her knowledge, as she slept. Even though his heart ached for a response from her, he couldn't bring himself to stop. This was his only chance to be with her like this, touching her, kissing her, for they very last time.

He eased his lips off hers, unwillingly, his hands on either side of her head. His hands scrunched up the silk covers of the pillow on which her head rested. Still, he couldn't manage to conjure up the necessary strength to get up off her bed and walk out the door.

Lightly, he rested his forehead on hers, feeling defeated. She just lay there in her slumber not knowing that she had him completely at her mercy, incredibly vulnerable. He sighed as he watched her peaceful face. He'd give anything just to exchange one last kiss with her; one where she was awake and where she _wanted_ to kiss him back.

_That's never going to happen._

_Please, one last time ...  
><em>

It seemed as though Rukia had heard his thoughts, for she stirred in her sleep – and whispered, "Ichigo" again.

It should have thrilled him, it didn't. It only made him feel more miserable than he already was. He wanted her; that was evident from the way his heart and body still responded to hers. But he couldn't have her; that was also evident from the way she'd looked at him with loathing in her purple eyes.

Then why does she whisper his name? Why did she call out to him? Why? Did she still love him? Would she forgive him and take him back?

The honest answer was "no". It didn't matter whether or not she would take him back; what he had done to her was unforgiveable, just as what she did to him was unforgiveable.

_One last time_, he thought.

Emboldened by her calling out to him, he traced feathery light kisses all over her forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks, chin, and finally, he took her faintly alcohol-tasting lips between his own. For a few seconds he struggled with an internal battle. One part of him wanted to wake her up and kiss her senseless, the other part fought against that desire to find the strength to get up and leave.

The latter part won. Once again, he eased his lips off hers, and it felt twice as hard as before.

"Goodbye" he whispered into her sleeping face.

He didn't look back as he silently walked out the door.

* * *

><p>After driving her inebriated friends to their respective homes, Orihime finally made it to Tatsuki's place. Tatsuki lived in a small two bedroom apartment which was well furnished and was always neat.<p>

Tatsuki could hold her drink, unlike her red-haired boyfriend, Renji. For the amount of drinks she'd had tonight, she should have passed out a long time ago. But she was standing firm on her feet, albeit with very little awareness as to what was going on around her.

Even so, it was Orihime who pulled the keys from Tatsuki's pocket and opened the door to the apartment. Tatsuki sauntered inside, tossing her purse onto the couch and collapsing into it. She kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes, resting.

Orihime gave a huge sigh. She wanted to talk to Tatsuki but her friend didn't seem in any position to listen. So, she decided to make some coffee. Walking into the small kitchen, she put on a kettle and poured some water into it to boil. While she waited, she thought about how best broach to the subject without sounding completely insane.

She had been worrying lately. Surprisingly, she wasn't worrying about Ichigo. He was distant but caring to her needs; just as he'd always been. Perhaps that was the problem, she thought. He was the same as he'd always been, from seven years ago. He hadn't changed at all. Circumstances had changed around him, but he was still the same, still the boy who was forced to grow up and take responsibility for his actions. Still … stuck in a place he didn't want to get out of.

Orihime found herself confronting feelings she pretended she didn't feel. How was her relationship with Ichigo different from his relationship with any of his other friends? Was the answer only supposed to be that they occasionally slept together? Is that all she could expect from her relationship, from him? She felt for him; she loved him more than anything or anyone else in the world. She fell more and more in love with him with each passing day. But, she had always felt something lacking from his side. She never achieved a sense of fulfilment in her relationship. She managed to ignore it, believing that she was imagining things.

For the past few days, however, that … gap … seemed to increase between them. She could no longer pretend it didn't exist. And the worst part was, she felt it was something lacking in her that seemed to leave Ichigo so – unsatisfied. Even though he was _with_ her as a boyfriend, lover, friend, he wasn't _completely_ with her either. There was something missing in her, she felt it and it was that which Ichigo was searching for; that elusive something.

Neither of them, however, seemed to know what that something was.

The kettle came to a boil. A few minutes later, Orihime carried two steaming mugs of coffee over to Tatsuki, taking a seat on the couch.

Tatsuki came around after a lot of shaking. She accepted the coffee and drank slowly, her eyes looking bleary and exhausted. The coffee seemed to be helping because she smiled after she took a sip. It cleared her head a little.

Tatsuki saw Orihime drink her coffee and at the same time, finger her cell phone with her other hand.

"What's wrong, Orihime?" she asked, in a low voice.

"I wanted to talk to you," said Orihime sounding extremely hesitant.

This surprised Tatsuki. "You know you can talk to me about anything," she said.

Orihime seemed to relax a little at the reassurance offered by Tatsuki. "Just give me a sec, okay?" she said and placed the mug on the coffee table. She used both hands to handle her phone for a couple of seconds, and then put the phone to her ears. Obviously, she was calling someone.

"Ichigo?" she said, talking into the phone as Tatsuki watched.

"I think I'll stay here at Tatsuki-chan's place tonight," she said. "So, you can go back home, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

Orihime listened for a few seconds and said, "Okay, bye" and cut the call.

She put the phone away and faced her best friend.

"What was all that about?" Tatsuki asked. She was a little anxious at Orihime's secretive behaviour.

Orihime was silent for a while before she said, "Tatsuki-chan, I was wondering … what's going on with Ishida-kun?"

She said the last part of the sentence in a rush.

Tatsuki was even more surprised. She had expected something very serious concerning Ichigo.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He seems to be very upset lately and he barely talks to us now-a-days and … well … he and Rukia-chan seemed to being having a deep conversation at the club and I couldn't help but to wonder … if, you know, everything is okay with him …"

Tatsuki's eyebrows went up higher and higher the more Orihime talked. "What's going on, Orihime? Uryu never talks about his troubles to any of us, remember? He was always the silent type, you know that."

Orihime avoided her eyes and instead took a sip of coffee.

Tatsuki continued, "Well, yeah, he barely talks about himself to us but I'll admit he's been looking a bit down lately. You don't have to worry about him, Orihime, maybe after Rukia talked to him, he might be feeling better. All he's ever needed were just a few words of comfort, just like Renji," she said, smiling widely at the last part.

Orihime saw that look; a look of deep love and longing that she seemed to have for Renji and which he returned. It was that which made her smile like she just did.

It fuelled her frustration. "Tatsuki-chan, have you ever felt like something was … missing in your relationship?"

Tatsuki's head felt like it was going to explode. What was wrong with Orihime? She was barely making any sense and she was talking around in riddles.

"Missing how?" she asked deciding to humour her. She may find out what was on her mind if she kept Orihime talking.

"I-I don't know," Orihime said, her head bowed low. "I - just forget what I said, okay? I'm tired. I think I'll turn in. Good night, Tatsuki-chan." And saying so, she got up off the couch and went to the spare bedroom. She had slept there one too many times in the past so she was quite familiar with it.

Tatsuki looked more confused than ever. She shook her head, and finishing her coffee, put both mugs in the sink and went into her own room.

Orihime closed the door behind her and switched on the light. It looked the same as ever; a bed, a dresser; a small desk and cupboard were the only furniture in the small but cosy room.

She took off her ash coloured dress and laid it neatly on the side of the bed. She got under the covers in her underwear, feeling anything but relaxed.

_I couldn't do it._

She chickened out in the end. She had, more than anything else, wanted to voice out her problem to Tatsuki. She didn't, wondering _why _she didn't. Maybe because she feared Tatsuki's reaction, she thought.

She wondered how her friend would have reacted if she confessed that she had felt jealous of Rukia when she was talking so intimately with Ishida Uryu?

He was definitely acting strange for some time now. He talked less and kept to himself more so than he usually would. Worried, she had asked him about it but he remained evasive as ever. She felt hurt because most times, he was very forthcoming with her. What was it that he could tell Rukia and find reassurance from her when he couldn't talk to _her_ about it? She had felt so irritated when she saw him like that. And she knew for a fact that he was never a "one-night-stand" kind of guy but he had proven her wrong when he went home with a woman he'd met at the bar. He seemed to be turning into a completely different person.

With her relationship with Ichigo feeling "on the rocks", Ishida was the one who was a source of comfort to her. He seemed to understand her feelings and had encouraged her to keep faith in her relationship. Now, what exactly were her feelings towards him? She knew she loved Ichigo but what did she feel for Ishida?

_He was Ishida-kun_, she thought. He was her friend, he was her good friend "Ishida-kun", he was - what?

She could only wonder.

* * *

><p>Rukia woke up feeling a pounding against her head. With what felt like Herculean effort, she opened her eyes. She immediately regretted it; because it only made the pounding in her head more real and unbearable.<p>

It was a few seconds before she realised that the pounding she was hearing was in fact someone knocking relentlessly on the door.

"Come in" she tried to yell, but only a dry rasp came out of her mouth. Her throat seared as though she'd spent the night swallowing sand. The knocking stopped and the door opened to reveal Shuuhei who looked, in Rukia's opinion, like shit.

His hair was a mess, his eyes were a little blood-shot and his face looked dry, as though someone had sucked the juices out of it. He walked in, slowly, and collapsed onto the bed. It was a large bed so there was enough room for him to lie down, with his feet hanging off the side one side.

"How do you feel?" he asked smirking as though their condition was something to celebrate about.

"I think I'm dying," she said, sagging down to her pillows.

He got up with an air of someone who's been in this spot before and knew how to handle it. He sat down next to her and gazed down into her face.

Bleary and half-dead that she was, Rukia couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia with the current scene. She felt – no, she _knew_ - that she'd been in this situation before. Her thoughts were hazy, befuddled, yes; it just felt so familiar to her.

She frowned.

_Was it a dream? Or did that really happen?_

And there was one thing that she was certain about; it wasn't Shuuhei who was sitting on her bed, looking down into her face. It was someone with vivid orange hair, Ichigo.

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Did she dream about Ichigo? And it was a, there was no other word to describe it,_ pleasant_ dream? That had never happened to her for seven long years.

Looking away from Shuuhei's gaze, she unconsciously raised a hand to her lips. She felt them under her fingers and had the strangest feeling that she had been – kissed. Her eyes nearly bulged out of sockets in shock.

Did she kiss Shuuhei believing him to be Ichigo?

"Shuuhei," she asked in a small voice that hid her panic, "What happened last night?"

She saw Shuuhei scrunch up his eyebrows as he tried to remember. He didn't have any more success than Rukia.

"I remember … laughing … a lot!" he said looking as though he was solving calculus problems in his head. A part of the night came back to Rukia all of a sudden. She felt a little excited at that.

"What else?" she asked still sounding raspy.

Shuuhei started thinking again. Then, looking uncertain, he asked, "Did we see a show last night?"

"A show?"

"Yeah, I mean I remember singing. Someone was singing," he said.

Rukia didn't reply. "How did we get back to the hotel?"

"No clue," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"You don't remember anything else?" Rukia asked, crossing her fingers under the covers.

"I think Kurosaki brought us home," he said sounding quite certain. Rukia paled.

Shuuhei didn't notice and continued, "Yeah, I think he put us in a cab and brought us here."

"Oh…"

That was all Rukia could manage to say. So, it wasn't a dream. It had been real. But she couldn't help but wonder: Did they kiss last night?

_That bastard! How dare he? _

She was drunk for crying out loud! How could he kiss her at such a time? She was boiling with rage at the thought of him kissing her. The soft lips that she hadn't kissed in such a long time, and he was such a good kisser as well … the only boy she had ever kissed.

The anger boiled down to pity. And before she knew it, she felt longing for those lips again. Oh, if only she'd been awake and sober, she could have done something rational like knock him unconscious if he tried anything with her.

_I feel so used…_

She had no doubts that she had enjoyed the kiss she had shared with him. How would he look at her now? Suddenly, another part of the night came back to her. She calling out for Ichigo and Ichigo whispering things to her that she couldn't recall.

"Come on," Shuuhei said, getting up and breaking her train of thought, "we have that luncheon to get to, remember?"

Rukia groaned. Momo and Izuru, instead of having a rehearsal dinner, opted for a small luncheon with their closest family and friends.

"I won't live long enough to go to the luncheon," she said, pulling up the covers over her head.

Shuuhei pulled them back and peered into her face. "Get out of bed – slowly – and take a cold shower. I'll ask room service to bring you some aspirins and some hot coffee. Drink the coffee hot and take the aspirins later on. Do that and you'll probably live."

Rukia felt like crying.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Rukia felt better. <em>Not good<em>, Rukia thought, _but better_.

The luncheon was to take place at the hotel, The Park, where Momo and Izuru were getting married. They were expected to arrive at noon. When it was time to get dressed, she opted for a wine coloured chiffon dress with a skirt that billowed enticingly around her knees. It had thin spaghetti straps and a straight neck line. The dress brought out her rich white skin and gave her a soft glow. She put on minimal make-up and wore high heels of a deep maroon colour that matched the dress and carried a small black clutch.

Shuuhei met her at the door, looking effortlessly handsome in a neat black suit with open-collared white shirt, which brought out his broad shoulders, and shiny black shoes.

"You look – nice," he said in what Rukia thought was an awkward voice. She frowned as she put on a thick woollen overcoat because it was snowing quite heavily outside and she was freezing in her flimsy dress. But she had survived worse winters in Tokyo so she felt could handle it.

"Thanks?" she said uncertainly. Did he have to sound so surprised? What she didn't realise was Shuuhei was for a moment rendered speechless as he laid eyes on her. He thought Rukia looked beautiful in anything but since it was the very first time he'd actually seen her in a dress, he didn't know how to respond.

He turned away blushing, looking anywhere but at her.

They walked out to the hotel's entrance. The concierge gave them a very curious look as he signalled the valet.

A minute later, a sleek black BMW Z4 convertible cruised over to them. Rukia's jaw dropped when the valet got out of the car and handed the keys to Shuuhei.

"I told you I drove here, didn't I?" he said, in response to her dumbfounded expression.

Sure, Rukia knew that but she didn't really expect him to come in a BMW.

Rukia got in to the passenger seat and Shuuhei turned on the heat in the car. Rukia sighed, relieved. She was anything but relieved on the inside. She would come face to face with Ichigo in a few short minutes. She felt butterflies in her stomach. A wave of nausea that had nothing to do with the hangover washed over her. She gazed out the window, feeling restless and unsettled.

_Fuck!_

They seemed to reach the hotel in a matter of minutes and Rukia got out of the car, more agitated than she'd ever been. How was she supposed to face him?

The Park was a huge five star hotel and was one of the more famous hotels in Japan. The interiors had soft dim lights and beautiful expensive furniture decorated with crystal chandeliers. Rukia had been in here with Momo that she knew her way around quite well. Shuuhei followed her, taking in the huge ceilings and marble walls.

They got into an elevator and got out at the third floor. There was a ballroom there which were the luncheon would take place. An attendant opened the double-oak doors and let them in. Rukia and Shuuhei walked inside to find Momo and Izuru, Uryu, Chad and Ichigo seated on a large table which could seat twenty. Everyone except Ichigo got up and came to greet them.

"Where's everyone else?" asked Rukia.

"My parents are stuck in traffic because of the weather," said Izuru. "So are Momo's; and Orihime-chan stayed at Tatsuki-chan's place last night so Renji's picking them both up. His car's at Tatsuki-chan's place anyway."

"Oh…" said Rukia as she removed her coat with some help from Shuuhei and handed it to the attendant. It was much warmer inside. When she did, she caught Momo's eyes who mouthed, "Oh my God" indicating Shuuhei, who was looking very handsome indeed. There was no hint of a hangover on his face.

It was then that she noticed how close together they were standing and the way he'd helped her out of the coat made them look like a young couple.

_Oh! No! No! No!_

Rukia shook her head discreetly but frantically at Momo, denying her assumption. But Momo only smiled in way that said, "Yeah, right!"

Almost out of her will, she chanced a glance at Ichigo. As she had expected, he had his eyes fixed on her and Shuuhei. Rukia locked eyes with his and he jolted, being caught staring at her. He fought down a blush as he remembered how he'd been with the beautiful girl just last night. He'd kissed her, all over her face, and had spent a sleepless night thinking about it over and over again.

However, he didn't break eye contact with her. For a second it seemed to him like she wanted to speak to him.

As it happened, everyone noticed them staring at each other.

"What?" he asked for he was starting to get nervous under her steady gaze.

There was a pristine silence in the room now that the former lovers were actually talking to each other. The friends expected nothing good to come out of it and inevitably panicked; a "volcano is about to explode" kind of panic.

"Nothing," she said quickly. A little too quickly.

Ichigo got off the chair and marched toward her. She stood her ground and narrowed her purple orbs at him.

"If you have something to say to me spit it out," he said stopping just a few feet from her.

Rukia, who was regretting looking at him at all, seemed to be failing in putting up her defences against him. As long as she could hate him with all of her being, she felt she could stand her ground and face him. But she could no longer do that. He seemed to have doubled in height as he towered over her.

But she wasn't Kuchiki Rukia for nothing.

It was the tone of his voice that brought out the anger in her. It gave off the same animosity that she harboured for him.

"What happened last night?" she asked folding her arms, her eyes not leaving his face. There was a small gasp from the people who were watching the scene nervously like a ticking bomb. She ignored it.

He blushed, furiously. He averted his gaze from her. Rukia was stunned. They _had _kissed last night. He knew now that she wanted him, even after all the intimations of hate that she'd given him.

And right now, she started to loath him.

Before she could say anything, Momo spoke, "Maybe we should step outside and give them some space – ", to her fiance and the others.

"It's nothing. You guys can stay," Rukia said anger bubbling in her voice. It was an indirect hit at Ichigo. She was indirectly telling him whatever happened between them meant nothing to her.

"No, you guys should talk. And we don't want to intrude," said Momo again, in a small voice and there was a murmur of agreement from the others.

"No, you guys can stay. Believe you me, it's absolutely nothing," she said trying to keep from screaming and putting extra emphasis on the "nothing".

Ichigo looked angrier than she'd ever seen him. _God, it felt so good to verbally abuse him,_ she thought. She should have done this years ago.

Ichigo was left speechless. His mind was such a mess that he couldn't string a coherent sentence together. She'd called his name so lovingly last night and now, none of it mattered? It was nothing?

Not only did the bystanders not understand what their friends were talking about but they knew they didn't want to stand there and listen.

Rukia, in her fury, saw out of the corner of her eye, the small group inching slowly towards the door.

"I said don't go!" she yelled, making them all jump. They stayed put, not daring to make a move.

Rukia turned her full attention to Ichigo, who stood like a broken statue before her. "Stay away from me."

It was very clear and laced with warning.

Ichigo flinched. "It didn't sound like "nothing" to me when you were calling my name in your sleep last night!" He was yelling and it was Shuuhei's hand on Rukia's shoulder trying to pull her back that made him snap back to his senses.

Rukia gave a very audible gasp. So did the rest of his friends.

"I was drunk," she said in a shaky sort of voice.

"You didn't sound drunk to me," he countered, remembering how softly she had uttered his name.

"You took advantage of that, you bastard!" she said, her voice rising with every word.

Ichigo blanched. She had him there. He had kissed her in her vulnerable state.

"Nothing to say now?" she asked, blushing furiously as she felt the round-eyed gazes of all her friends fixed on her. "You know what, you have Orihime. You shouldn't be trying to kiss me! And by the way, tell me, when was it that you started going behind my back? Tell me, I'd really like to know. When was it you realised that you were in love with Orihime? And what, you didn't have the guts to break up with me before you decided to get back with her, the beautiful girl who wanted you before I did?"

The words just falling out of her like "word vomit". She could stop herself and Shuuhei's grip on her shoulder seemed to get tighter and tighter.

"And now what, are you done with her too? And you thought she'd dump you if she caught wind of this? Answer me!" she cried.

All the things she wanted to tell him, yell at him, burst out of her.

"Tell me!" she cried again. "When did you start going behind my back?"

Ichigo's mind hardly registered her words. He was so stunned by them for it made no sense to him at all.

Rukia watched him open his mouth to speak but no words came out. After all this time, he has nothing to say to her at all?

"Ah –" he started to speak but the next second, the doors flew open and a large party comprising of Momo's and Izuru's parents, and some of their cousins and other relatives barged in, with Renji, Tatsuki and Orihime bringing up the rear.

Still blinded by her fury and angered even more by the interruption, she turned away from Ichigo without a second look at him. The crowd didn't seem to notice the tense atmosphere and a loud babble had broken out, with friends and family greeting each other.

Shuuhei had nothing to say in comfort and Rukia walked past him. She mumbled a small, "I'm sorry" to Momo as she walked out of the little ballroom. She was close to tears, hurt angry tears that threatened to spill any second. There was a bathroom close by.

She hurried into in and shut the door.

_**My longest chapter yet. Hope you like it.**_

_**Please review.**_

_**Happy Holidays everyone!  
><strong>_


	11. Chapter 11

Once again, let me start off by thanking everyone who took the time to read my fic. For all the alerts and all the reviews: THANK YOU! There is nothing more than I can ask for.

And I also apologise for the many mistakes in the last chapter. There was a four hour power outage here and by the time I finished it, my laptop had like 10% charge left so I only gave it a hasty read before posting it. There were a lot of silly mistakes and for that I apologise.

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T**

**Tell Me You Love Me**

**Chapter 10**

**To The Beginning…**

Rukia rushed into the restroom and shut the door behind her. She was close to hyperventilating and desperately tried to steady her breathing. Her heart was pounding away inside her ribcage and her ears were ringing. She often felt this way when she was running on her morning jogs. But there, she felt free and alive with the adrenaline pumping in her veins. Now, however, the feeling was drastically different. She felt cold and alone.

The silence in the posh-looking restroom was deafening. She couldn't stand it. Standing alone in the empty ladies'- room of one of the best hotels in Karakura Town, she felt like the walls were closing in one her. Her head was filled with nothing but the argument she had had a few moments ago; that which made her react so strongly, that hurt her so very deeply. She leaned over the marble topped counter with its porcelain washbasins and steel faucets. The large rectangular mirror covered an entire side of the wall and she looked at her own reflection in it.

She looked very pale and on the verge of tears; her eyes were full of pain.

What was Ichigo thinking? How could he have kissed her? Why should he _want_ to kiss her? They had been _over_ as a couple for more than seven years now, so why should he want to kiss her now?

Her mind remained blank. Frustrated, she turned on a tap, just to dispel the cold stillness ringing in her ears.

Rukia remained silent for a while, listening to the running water flow out of the tap. It was oddly reassuring to her. At least, it was better than absolute silence.

_No_, she thought. She could not let this happen; she could not fall to pieces. She cringed as she thought of how close she had come to ruining Momo's luncheon. She couldn't imagine what she would've done if Momo and Izuru's parents and relatives had heard her and Ichigo's argument. And she promised herself that she wouldn't let this happen.

Suddenly, she felt the seriousness of the situation. She no longer felt like the cocky girl who had left Tokyo thinking she could handle facing Ichigo and come out alive after Momo's wedding. She no longer felt that.

She felt like the girl who had fallen in love with said man … and had lost him all over again. She was all alone in the world and no one would be able to set things right. The one person who could was the one person who put her in this position in the first place.

_Why_ did she still love Ichigo?

_How_ can she still love him?

She should hate him! He should mean nothing to her, not after what he had done. _The why …_

And the worst part was … Ichigo himself knew that she still wanted him. She had called out to him, called out his name like he was all she'd ever wanted in the world.

The tears started to flow. Her vision blurred, distorting the reflection of herself in the mirror. The mascara ran down her cheeks, leaving a black trail, almost like leaving a trail of blood for she was sure her heart was bleeding.

She just didn't know what to do anymore.

There was a small knock on the door. Rukia heard it as though from a mile away. She knew that it was Shuuhei on the other side, probably worried.

_I can't believe I brought him into all this._

Rukia straightened up. This was not the place to fall to pieces. Momo and Izuru were a few feet away, probably worried about her, not being able to do or say anything about it in front of their families. She didn't want to make them worry. She didn't want to make them worry when they should be celebrating their union.

Once again, she gazed back at her reflection. She turned off the tap and wiped the tears off her face.

She too in a shaky breath. There was determination in her purple eyes.

* * *

><p>Shuuhei prowled the corridor outside the ballroom like a caged animal. It took every ounce of his strength not to go inside the ballroom and drag Ichigo outside just to beat the crap out of him. <em>How dare he kiss Rukia? And when she was drunk!<em>

He clenched his hands in a fierce grip and paced faster than before not sure what to do with himself.

He was so worried about Rukia who had disappeared into the restroom at the end of the long corridor. She was in there for more than ten minutes and each second that passed felt like a lifetime.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the image of Ichigo kissing Rukia out of his mind. And he gritted his teeth feeling jealousy course through his veins.

"_It didn't sound like "nothing" to me when you were calling my name in your sleep last night!" _

Shuuhei cursed at the words Ichigo had uttered. Rukia called out his name? He didn't believe it. Correction, he didn't _want_ to believe it. It was too ridiculous. Why on earth would Rukia call out that Kurosaki bastard's name when he knew for a fact that she hated him?

Shuuhei could not even ponder the answer to that one.

But in such circumstances as these, the human mind has a way of making a person more miserable than before. And as such, Shuuhei found himself remembering the way Rukia had called him, having fallen apart after coming face to face with Kurosaki the day she had reached Karakura. He should have known then that she still had feelings for the man, no matter how much she tried to deny it to herself. If she was truly over him, she wouldn't be so afraid of meeting him. But then again, she had never told him she was over him, did she?

Shuuhei felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. There was far too much drama than he was used to handling, especially when it came to girls.

He decided he'd rather not think about such things just now. There were more pressing matters to deal with. Tentatively, he approached the door to the ladies'-room and softly knocked on it.

Shuuhei, for the life of him, did not know what to say.

However, he promised himself, that right after Momo and Izuru wedding was over he would take Rukia back to Tokyo without wasting another second. He would take her back where she belonged, with her brother, with _him_ …

She didn't have to go through this, not with him by her side.

_Just one more fucking day … _

Since there was no answer from Rukia, all Shuuhei could do was simply stand there and hope she wasn't in there crying her eyes out. He didn't know what he would do if he found tears in her perfect eyes. His self-restraint was under heavy strain already, and it might entirely break if he ever saw such a vision. And nothing would be able to stop him from getting into a fist fight with Kurosaki Ichigo.

Mustering up some courage, Shuuhei raised his hand to knock on the door a second time. However, he didn't have to. The door opened and Rukia stepped out.

His jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

Because when Kuchiki Rukia stepped out of that restroom … she looked _perfect_.

* * *

><p>Shuuhei prided himself on the fact that he knew Rukia pretty well; or rather more so than any other person in all of Tokyo. He doubted if her own brother knew her as well as he did. After all, she had other acquaintances but he was sure he was her only friend. That was enough for him to make such an assumption.<p>

But as he looked at the woman who had stepped out of the restroom, he couldn't help but think: _Who the hell is this chick?_

She had rushed into that bathroom looking broken and, due to the heat of the moment, extremely angry. Shuuhei felt that she needed a few minutes to herself to compose herself, to cool off, to get her bearings …

He did not expect a complete 180 degree turn of events.

She came out looking absolutely perfect, not a smudge in her make-up, no sign of her having cried her eyes out, not giving the slightest clue that she needed to compose herself in the first place.

It was … _scary._

She stood before him like some formidable tower of strength, unbreakable. Somehow, it didn't calm him. If anything, he was even more nervous after seeing her like this. If she had betrayed some kind of an emotion, he would have known what to say to comfort her.

But with her in such a state of perfection, he was stunned speechless.

"I'm sorry I made you wait," she said in her usual, calm voice.

Shuuhei managed to nod once. "Come on, we shouldn't keep Momo and Izuru waiting."

With that, she slid her arm around his and led him into the small ballroom.

Shuuhei didn't speak much, and only replied in a somewhat uneasy voice when someone walked up and spoke to him. Rukia had left his side, mingling with everyone, looking like a perfect friend to Momo and Izuru. She laughed, she told jokes, recalled old stories of her friends from the past with great energy and got reacquainted with Momo's parents who treated her like another daughter.

Everyone had a great time as such groups often do when they get together. A delicious lunch was served to them and they all dug in with great gusto, sipping fine wine and engaging in good conversation.

A handful of people saw the contradiction in Rukia's behaviour and they included: Chad, Uryu, Shuuhei, Orihime and Ichigo.

Orihime was absolutely certain that something had gone horribly wrong between Ichigo and Rukia right before she had walked into the room with Momo and Izuru's parents and relatives.

Rukia had stormed out with her head bowed down, albeit discreetly with Shuuhei hurrying after her but not before shooting death glares at Ichigo. If Orihime needed more evidence, she didn't have to look for it. Ichigo's face said it all.

He looked utterly – there was no other word to describe it – defeated. His shoulders were slumped, which made him look half his size, his head was bowed down and his face had the look of someone who was having the worst day of his life. It was all in his eyes – they looked dead.

Orihime was tired of seeing such an expression on his face. And she was painfully aware that there was very little she could do to alleviate him from his suffering. Her curiosity was killing her, she wanted to know what happened between him and Rukia, but she held herself back. Rukia was clearly struggling; Orihime saw right through the façade she was putting on. Rukia had completely rejected - whatever that happened - from her mind and focused on the immediate situation. Orihime of all people knew that ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

She noticed some of the others look at Rukia worriedly, everyone except Ichigo. He too had taken the same route as Rukia and acted like nothing was wrong.

It felt like the right thing to do at a time like this … but it also felt entirely wrong.

Orihime, who had her eyes on Uryu almost as much as she had on Ichigo, saw how often how he fixed his concerned gaze on the black-haired girl. Why did he have such an expression on his face? Did he like Rukia? The _need_ to know frightened her.

She would talk to him today, no matter what happens and make him tell her about his problems. She was feeling cut off from everyone for a while now, and she wasn't going to stand for it anymore. Her resolve was set.

Ichigo barely looked at Rukia all throughout the luncheon. She kept to herself and he did the same.

He felt just as he looked – dead.

"_Stay away from me."_

It was the only thing that was etched into his brain. Maybe it was the best thing he could do …

Once the luncheon came to an end, the party stayed on for a little while longer, talking some more about the wedding and the necessary preparations and other such matters. It was close to 5pm by the time the party dispersed. The snow was still falling heavily outside so they hurried into their respective cars and left after many goodbyes and "See you tomorrows".

Ichigo left the second he got the chance to do so. Surprisingly, Chad and Uryu left along with him and Orihime. Renji and Tatsuki were the next to leave. Then, it was just Rukia and Shuuhei with Momo and Izuru.

Rukia gave Momo a heartfelt hug. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be waiting," said Momo as she hugged Rukia back.

Rukia smiled at her friend. "You're going to make a_ wonderful_ bride," she told Momo.

"For _him_," said Momo slipping her hand around Izuru's waist and looking up at him sweetly, "I better be."

Izuru smiled back, blushing, and reached down to place a kiss on her lips.

Rukia couldn't help but smile at the two of them. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to Shuuhei.

"I know, we should get going," she said, before Shuuhei could open his mouth.

With a final wave at the happy, blessed couple, Rukia got into Shuuhei's car. They were on the road in seconds.

* * *

><p>Back in Ichigo's apartment, a heated argument was taking place.<p>

"I can't believe you did that!" Uryu exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger behind his glasses.

Ichigo's stiff form was seated on the couch. There was no expression on his face. Chad stood leaning on the counter, sipping on a bottle of water, as his eyes travelled between Ichigo and Uryu who was pacing back and forth in front of Ichigo, his hands behind his back.

"You kissed Rukia! And she was drunk at the time!"

Chad nearly choked on his water. He thought it was a good thing that they dropped Orihime off at her apartment before coming here to accost Ichigo. He had a hard time believing that Ichigo would do such a thing.

Ichigo did not offer an answer. He merely kept his gaze fixed on his shoes in his seated position.

"You kissed Rukia," Uryu repeated. It was neither a statement nor was it a question. It was just plain accusatory.

"Why in the hell would you do such a thing?" Uryu was growing terribly impatient at Ichigo's lack of response. He felt a sudden urge to grab Ichigo by the shoulders and shake him until he gave him a proper answer.

Instead, he said, "Chad, you've got to help me out here," looking pleadingly at the tall form of Chad.

Chad merely shrugged. "Ichigo …" he called out to his friend in his deep voice.

For once, Ichigo looked up and turned his gaze on him. "What happened?" Chad asked. He was trying to make sense of the situation himself. And there was a lot that he didn't understand about his … er - relationship with Rukia.

"It just ... happened," Ichigo said at last.

However, that was not the answer Uryu was expecting. He sat down on the couch next to the orange-haired man. It was time to set things straight.

"It just happened …", Uryu repeated. "Kurosaki, for God's sake, you're talking as though you've wet your bed again. Things like this don't _just_ happen. Why would you even try to kiss her in the first place?"

"I'm still in love with her."

Uryu froze. As did Chad who stopped abruptly as he raised the bottle to take a sip of water.

That was more direct than Uryu had wanted. "What?" he asked slowly.

Ichigo slumped back onto the couch cushions and locked his amber eyes on the door which was directly opposite to where he was sitting.

"I'm still in love with her," Ichigo said, not moving his eyes off the door. "I don't think I fell out of love with her, ever. I've always loved her. She was the only girl who I've ever wanted ... more than anything."

Ichigo spoke in a dead-pan, straight voice. He may as well be reciting what he just said from memory for it sounded like it was by-hearted off a textbook.

It left Chad and Uryu speechless. However, they didn't get a chance to speak for Ichigo continued, "I can go around looking for someone who will fill her place in my heart but I know I won't find anyone. There is no other person in the world who could take her place. Not Inoue, not Tatsuki, not Momo, not anyone …"

Ichigo raised his hands in emphasis as he said, "She was …_ it_."

By this time, both of his friends' mouths were open in utter shock. "I-Ichigo – "stuttered Chad, "Then why did you cheat on her with Inoue?"

"Because she was cheating on me behind my back and I – I didn't know how to handle it at that time," Ichigo looked at both his friends as he answered. He had not told a single word about this to anyone, not even Inoue.

A minute's silence passed.

"That's fucked up, Kurosaki," Uryu said at last finding his voice. "Rukia is not someone who would ever do that. You know it more than anyone else."

Ichigo was tired of it all. He just wanted it out and done with. He was tired of appearing happy for the sake of others, doing things that others expected of him, living a life that he didn't want nor deal with, not anymore.

"I saw it," he said the memory of it flashing in his brain. It still made him cringe.

Uryu was shaking his head in denial while Chad simply looked dumbfounded. "I don't believe it. Rukia would never do something like that," he could only repeat the words he was sure of.

Ichigo ignored him completely. "I didn't know what to do," he said, folding his hands together over his knees. "I lost it. And I – I …"

They knew the rest. He had slept with Inoue.

"And you made Inoue-san believe you really liked her after that?" Uryu asked sounding almost disgusted. "You used her to get back at Rukia?"

Ichigo heaved a sigh. He was losing it all once again, no use in trying to keep anything secret. And he looked absolutely disgusted with himself that Uryu backed off a little.

"It was awkward; it was clumsy; we both didn't know what we were doing and it was just a fucking mess. It was both our first time's and I wish it had never happened. I shouldn't have done it and it wasn't fair to Inoue but Rukia – "

"That's enough, Kurosaki," said Uryu. "Who did you see her with?" he asked. Ichigo looked so pitiful right now and it was something he did not want to see. He knew now why he was in a relationship with Inoue. He didn't just cut her lose after using her. For that, Uryu had his respect, albeit a tiny bit of respect.

Ichigo's jaw tightened and a look of absolute anger creased the lines in his face.

There was only one person who could make him look like that. And even though Uryu found it hard to believe that Rukia would cheat on Ichigo, he also knew that Ichigo would never lie about this.

Uryu knew who Ichigo was talking about.

* * *

><p>Rukia, just like Ichigo, was seated on the couch in her room, with Shuuhei sitting at the foot of the bed, watching her with concerned eyes.<p>

They had gotten back to the hotel in silence. Neither of them spoke a word in the car on the way here. Once they reached the hotel, Shuuhei came up to Rukia's room and she let him in knowing he had a lot of questions on his mind.

"So …" Shuuhei said in a heavily awkward voice. "Are you going to tell me how this whole sob story of yours started?"

Shuuhei dared to ask her even though he felt he shouldn't. Rukia looked at him for a moment or two. Then she nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Shuuhei was surprised. "Really?" he asked quickly, thinking he'd misheard her.

"Yeah, I mean, you're the one who has to deal with – all this," she said, gesturing with her hands at her own slumped form. After spending an entire afternoon pretending to be fine in order to hide her misery, she felt completely drained. She felt empty.

Rukia took a small breath and said, "It all started during the first day of high school," she said, locking eyes with Shuuhei who was listening intently.

"Your _very_ first day?" Shuuhei interrupted.

"I'll never forget the day I met him," Rukia said as though she hadn't heard him. Shuuhei scowled at that but he looked intrigued at what she just said.

"Kurosaki, you mean?" he asked.

Rukia shook her head. "Shiba Kaien …" she said. Something flashed across her eyes that Shuuhei could not describe.

_Was it hurt? Shame? _

"Who was that?" Shuuhei could tell he was very important simply because of the way Rukia spoke his name. There was definite admiration there but also - something else.

"He was my senior at the time," said Rukia speaking very slowly. "And he was the first person I had ever … _liked_."

"Oh …" Shuuhei felt a pang of jealousy for the unknown Shiba Kaien.

"Did you two … get together?" he asked.

"No, he had a girlfriend," she replied.

Shuuhei was confused. "Wait, I don't get it. If he was with someone and the two of you didn't get together … why is he relevant?"

"Because Ichigo thinks I slept with him," answered Rukia in a dead voice.

Shuuhei blinked. "What?"

Rukia didn't answer. Shuuhei tried again. "What do you mean "_Ichigo thinks"_?"

"Exactly what I said."

"_Did_ you sleep with him?"

"I did not."

"Then why does he think that you did?"

"He believed it. I just - didn't correct him."

Shuuhei's thought his head was going to explode. "I don't understand any of it."

But Rukia was not listening. She was already thinking back to her high school days. To the very first day when she met Kaien and when she first met … Kurosaki Ichigo …

**I do apologise if it bored you guys. It did me.**

**But I want to say thanks for reading! And hopefully I will be able to finish this fic in the next few chapters and with a bit of luck keep you all interested 'til then.**

**Thanks everyone!**


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks guys for the continued support! It means the world to me. I can't believe I'm still getting alerts for this fic. Thank you once again; you all know who you are :) :)

**Disclaimer: Bleach characters and environment belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Rated: T**

**Tell me You Love Me**

**Chapter 12**

**Double Date Part I  
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_**Seven Years ago at Karakura High**_

"_His hair's … orange …"_

That was the first thing that Rukia said the first time she laid eyes on Kurosaki Ichigo.

Renji had pointed him out to her at lunch time in the school grounds. He was telling her about his soccer practice and had merely pointed out another member of his team, who happened to be having his lunch with his own circle of friends.

She along with Orihime, Renji, Momo and Izuru were seated at the base of a tree, enjoying their lunch on a lovely afternoon at Karakura High School. They were the new kids in the school, starting their first year of senior year at Karakura High.

Rukia dipped into her bento with great energy as she was very hungry this afternoon. And so, she didn't take part in the conversation the rest of her friends were having.

"He's actually very good," Renji was saying, still talking about Ichigo.

"What did you say his name was again?" Momo asked, munching on some rice from her bento.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he replied, after swallowing his food.

Momo frowned, thinking, with a faraway look on her face. "Where have I heard that name before?" she asked herself in a low whisper.

"What about you, Hime-chan? Have you heard that name anywhere before?" Momo asked Orihime who was digging into her lunch which was a concoction of the weirdest ingredients you can find, and which Rukia lovingly called her, "Kitchen Experiments".

Orihime turned to look at Ichigo who was seated a long way away from them. She stayed in that position for some time before Renji called out to her.

"O-Orihime? You okay?"

Orihime jumped as though she had forgotten for a second that they were all there with her.

"I've never seen him before," she said, a hint of red in her cheeks as she spoke, "but I think he has a funny face," she said, blushing madly at the end of the sentence.

This made Rukia focus her attention on the orange-haired boy again. When Renji had mentioned said boy, she had given him a cursory glance, like how one would look at a stranger who was crossing the street. That's all there was to it. All she noticed was his orange hair and she was too preoccupied by her bento to focus her attention on anything else.

So, when she looked back at him, and this time, really looked at him, she found him to be quite handsome. He had slightly tanned skin (no doubt brought about by soccer practices), a face with a scowl which she could see even from her distance, and lithe but strong-looking arms. His head was bowed down and his entire focus was pinned to his bento. And judging from his wide shoulders and lean torso, she guessed him to be quite tall. Although, still not as tall as Renji.

However, she couldn't see his eyes as they were cast down on his lunch box. So, taking in his appearance altogether, with the bizarre orange hair, the scrunched up eyebrows that gave him the scowl, and even the way his wide mouth moved as he chewed his food, made Rukia think about what Orihime said about him.

"_I think he has a funny face."_

Not to mention his name: Ichigo – as in – _Strawberry_.

Rukia started to laugh, completely agreeing with her best friend since childhood. He _did_ have a funny face.

She earned the curious gaze of her friends as she did.

"What is it, Rukia-chan?" asked Orihime.

Rukia stopped laughing long enough to reply, "I think he has a funny face too," she said, coughing as her laughter stopped.

Orihime blushed more and stole a quick glance at the subject of their discussion.

"I think Hime-chan has a crush," sang Momo flustering Orihime even more.

"N-No, of course not, Momo-chan," she said, not meeting eyes with anyone as she said that.

Rukia sighed; Orihime was such a bad liar. Momo laughed at her denial while Renji chuckled. Izuru merely shook his head but when he caught Rukia's eye, smiled ever so slightly, as though secretly enjoying the joke.

"Who's that guy?" he asked, after a few seconds' silence. The group looked at the new arrival at Kurosaki's circle of friends, which was rather large. There was a brown-haired guy who was constantly babbling, sitting right next to Ichigo. Next to him was a small black-haired boy who had a constant smile on his face, and who seemed to be conversing with the brown-haired fellow. Next to _him_ was a pale skinned boy with his hair hanging in curtains on either side of his face. He wore glasses and a frown, just like Ichigo. And just like Ichigo, he kept his eyes glued to his food.

There were a few girls in their group. They sat a little apart from the boys but constantly kept up the chatter with them.

The newcomer, however, was a rather large, muscular guy with dark skin and a mop of brown hair that fell into his eyes. He was taller and wider than any high school student Rukia had ever seen.

"Oh, that's Yasutora Sado," said Renji, recognising him, "people call him "Chad"."

"Holy Shit!" cursed Momo all of a sudden, startling all of them.

"What?" asked Rukia, shocked by her sudden outburst; Momo hardly ever swore.

"Now, I remember!" Momo exclaimed, "That's Kurosaki Ichigo and Yasutora Sado! Those guys are famous in Karakura for being delinquents!"

"That's dumb," said Izuru, jovially. Momo flashed him a look of anger.

"I-I mean," he said, backtracking immediately once he noticed how angry she was, "those are just rumours. And besides, Renji said that Kurosaki was a nice guy," he said, trying and failing in making his point.

"I think what he said was that Kurosaki was a good soccer player," said Momo, curling her lips as she spoke. She seemed to enjoy seeing Izuru cowering under her angry gaze. "Right, Renji?" she asked the red-haired boy.

"Well – " he started, but was cut off by Rukia, "Delinquent or not, what does it matter? It's not like we're his friends after all," she said, not understanding the situation.

"Rukia," said Momo in a severely patient voice that one would adopt with a two year old, "if Hime-chan is going to ask him out, we need to find out if he is the thug everyone makes him out to be."

At this, both Rukia and Orihime were dumbstruck. _Hime-chan is going to - what now?_

Rukia looked at Orihime in amazement. "You're going to ask him out?"

She was surprised because this would be the first time she was going to ask any guy out. It was like a stepping stone into the dating world, something they had both avoided since junior high when boys started to notice them.

"W-What? N-No! I – "Orihime just couldn't get the words out.

Rukia never quite understood the dating part of life. Why was it so important anyway? And besides, from all the stories she'd heard, dating in high school was just a cover for feeling each other up and getting the life's lessons on what to do once you get into a "real" relationship when you're older. Rukia never even considered going out with someone; she was sure she'd feel like a fool doing it. Maybe that's why it came as such a surprise to her to learn that Orihime was going to ask a boy out.

Life really was curious. Just a few short days ago, Orihime was nervous when boys showed her any kind of attention, and today, here she was, almost sounding like she really wanted to go on a date with a boy she knew nothing about. Rukia smiled at her.

"Go ahead," she told a wide-eyed Orihime, "Ask him out."

Orihime smiled a little shyly and gazed down at her lap, mostly to avoid the knowing looks on her friends' faces.

"What if he says he no?" she asked them, a little sadly, Rukia thought.

"He could also say yes," said Rukia, confidently. She had good reason to be after all; Orihime was very sweet and kind and for a fifteen year old girl, she was very beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have her as a girlfriend.

Orihime lifted up her head and connected her grey eyes with Rukia's purple ones. "You think so?"

"I know so," Rukia replied. "Right guys?" she asked, looking at Renji, Izuru and Momo.

They all nodded in unison.

Orihime smiled.

* * *

><p>After lunch was over, Rukia and her friends returned to the school building. In the end though, Rukia had to rush back to her locker because she had left a textbook behind that she needed for her next class. Realising that she was going to be late, Rukia slammed the door of her locker shut and turned around only to run into what felt like a brick wall. The impact made her stumble and drop her book. But before she could fall down completely, a pair of strong arms seized and steadied her.<p>

The next thing she knew, her textbook was being handed back to her. She looked at the hand holding the book and followed it up to the face of a tall, handsome boy with dark hair and the most brilliant cerulean eyes. It was a beautiful mixture of Indigo and blue and the resultant colour was quite stunning.

"Wow," said Rukia, unable to look away from those eyes.

However, she did notice the eyebrows go up in surprise at what she just said. Startled, she took in his entire face and tried to cover up the momentary - er - admiration.

_Did I just say "Wow"?_

"I-I mean – what I meant to say was, I'm sorry," she said, taking a step back from the tall boy.

For some odd reason, her cheeks felt hot and she found she couldn't look at his face. She started to get very flustered at her reaction to him. She'd never experienced anything like it before.

"That's okay," said the boy, brushing off her apology with a wave of his hand. "You're Kuchiki Rukia, right?" he asked, taking a good look at her.

"Yes," she answered him politely. _Why am feeling so - nervous?_

"I'm Shiba Kaien," he said, holding out a large hand, "I sometimes substitute for the advanced Calculus classes for Obayashi Sensei," he said, smiling a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Rukia found herself smiling back at him and shaking his hand. It felt so warm when she grasped it in a firm shake. She completely forgot about the fact that she was very much late.

"Oh, I only joined recently so …" she said, happy to know that they had a common ground where she could meet him again.

The final bell rang, making them both jump. "I guess we're late," he said, looking at his watch.

"I'm sorry," said Rukia immediately. She was, after all, the reason why they're both late.

"No worries," he said, and giving her one last smile, walked away from her.

Once again, Rukia felt the heat in her cheeks rise and it was only after he left that she seemed to realise the butterflies in her stomach. Supremely confused and yet happy at the same time, she gave herself a mental shake and walked in the direction of her classroom. She was in a daze, wide-eyed and blushing, hardly knowing where her feet were taking her, only to turn a corner and bump into yet another person. This time, she did fall to the ground … on her ass, to be precise.

"Ouch," she said, getting up and rubbing her backside gingerly.

"Watch where you're going, kid," said a gruff voice from somewhere near her. Rukia looked up to see an orange head and a familiar scowl.

_Kurosaki Ichigo …_

Rukia's ears prickled. _Did he just call me "kid"?_

"What did you say?" she asked, anger bubbling up in her voice and stomach. It was a completely different feeling from just a few minutes ago.

She narrowed her eyes at him. And for the first time, Rukia saw his eyes. They were an intense colour of amber. Somehow, they almost seemed to add a feminine quality to his delinquent-looking face. They were … soft; an expression quite opposite to his scowl.

"I said, watch where you're going, _kid_," he said, repeating the words quite obnoxiously back to her. "What's the matter, _kid_? You lost? Were you bringing that book to your big brother or sister?"

But his words grated on her nerves like a chainsaw. A vein popped up in her forehead as her anger reached an all-time high.

Ichigo didn't see the small fist come flying at him.

WHAM!

Upper cut straight to the jaw!

It knocked him flat on his back before he even registered what happened. He let out a grunt of pain as he clutched his aching jaw with his hands and through the ringing in his ears, he distinctly heard the words, "Strawberry moron" and "Kurosaki bastard" float into his head.

He sat up and looked around, with every urge to find the pint-sized junior-high-looking-girl who had the audacity to punch him, and teach her a lesson she'll never forget.

However, she was nowhere to be found. He rubbed his still stinging jaw and got to his feet, groaning in pain and frustration.

_Who does she think she is? I won't rest 'til I find out who she is and get even! _

_Che_, he thought, he should have seen that punch coming. But still, with her being so small, it wasn't entirely his fault. She was only half his size but he had to admit, it was still a good punch.

_Damn …_

**Two days later …**

"Rukia-chaaaaan!" Rukia heard Orihime's voice call out to her.

Rukia was on her way to the library to return a book when she heard Orihime. She pivoted and saw Orihime come running at her in full speed, highly excited about something.

"He said yes!" she yelled, even before she reached Rukia. Once she came to a stop, she was completely breathless. Rukia rubbed her back as she hunched over, trying to steady her breathing.

"He said yes," she said again, her entire face shining in the glow of exercise and happiness. "I asked Kurosaki-kun out and … and he said _yes_!"

"That's great," Rukia said, thinking it best not to mention that she had punched the man she had successfully asked out, right this very minute.

"Renji-kun was right," Orihime continued happily, "He's very nice once you talk to him; and so kind too. Rukia-chan, I can't believe he said yes!"

Rukia stared at Orihime. "Nice" and "Kind" were not words she would have ever associated with Kurosaki. Her pride still hurt from the way he called her "kid".

"I told you he would," Rukia said. She had to say _something_ …

"So, did you two make any plans?" asked Rukia, feeling obligated to ask about her and Ichigo's plans. She was new to this type of conversation and was only learning her way around it.

"Yeah," said Orihime, eyes sparkling in excitement, "We're meeting at the amusement park on Saturday evening."

Amusement park, thought Rukia, it was a good place to mingle and have fun. At least, it was infinitely better than going for a movie where you have to spend the entire time - not talking.

"Great," said Rukia, not knowing what else to say.

Then, Orihime hesitated. "Rukia-chan?" she asked, sounding nervous about something.

"What is it, Orihime?"

Quite suddenly, Orihime slapped both her palms together in a pleading way, and blurted out, "Can you and Renji-kun please come with us on Saturday?"

"What – like a double date?" asked Rukia. She had watched one too many TV shows where the best friends accompanied the heroine on her first date.

_Well, what the hell? _

"Sure," Rukia agreed. "But we have to ask Renji."

"Already done," replied Orihime. "He said he'd love to go."

Rukia felt something ominous creep up on her. She had punched the guy after all. What would he say if he saw her there with Orihime? Will he walk out on Orihime?

_Nah _… said a voice inside her head. He deserved it. And if anything, he's probably forgotten all about it by now.

Rukia sighed. "Fine," she said at last.

Rukia felt a curiosity to see if Kurosaki Ichigo was as "nice" and "kind" as Orihime makes him out to be. Renji was like a brother to her and it would be good to keep an eye on them as they went about their date.

Unbidden to her mind, came the image of Shiba Kaien. She found herself wondering how it would be to go out on a date with him. Then, she mentally cursed herself. A guy like him probably had a girlfriend. And she'd be an extremely nice person too.

Rukia sighed, sad, and walked back to the library.

"_Whaaaaaaaaaat?"_ shrieked Asano Keigo to a supremely annoyed Ichigo. He was out on the field, next to the stands, warming up before soccer practice could start. Keigo, Mizuiro and Chad were with him as they decided to go home together after Ichigo's practice.

And right now, Keigo could not believe his ears when Ichigo informed him and the others that he had scored a date with the beauty of Karakura High School. In fact, he was in tears. As such, it was difficult to tell if he was happy or sad.

"Ichigo! You bastard! How could you? Did you even mention me? You're extremely handsome bachelor friend! Oh my God, Inoue-san! She is so hot! Not to mention, she is always surrounded by extremely hot girls and if everything goes well, you'll get to hang out with them – and so we'll get to hang out with all of you – "

Ichigo let him go on. Truth be told, he was taken completely by surprise when Inoue Orihime had walked up to him, sounding incredibly shy, and asked him to the amusement park this weekend. It was just a spur of the moment decision of his to accept her offer, and now, looking back at it, he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. She was cute and seemed sweet, but in all honesty, he wasn't looking forward to going out with her. He just didn't know why.

It was his first date and he didn't want to screw it up. And given the choice, he was sure he'd never walk up to a girl and ask her out. It was not his forte. He was feeling awkward already.

As he stretched out his muscles, he caught a flash of raven black hair in his peripheral vision. He turned for a closer look and caught sight of the _midget_ who had punched him in the corridor a few days back. She was talking to his teammate, Renji, and whatever she was saying, was cracking him up, for he was laughing non-stop.

_Was she Renji's kid sister?_

"Hey, Chad," he said, eyes still glued to the petite girl, "Who's that?"

He tilted his head slightly in her direction. However, it was Keigo who answered.

"That's Kuchiki Rukia," he said, looking and sounding like a love-struck puppy, as he looked over Ichigo's shoulder at "Kuchiki Rukia". Ichigo shook him off and repeated, "_Who is she_?"

She definitely _wasn't_ Renji's sister.

"That's the best friend of the girl you're going out with," said Keigo, looking at him like he were mad. "You didn't know that?"

_Best friend of Inoue Orihime? _

He felt something heavy drop into his stomach. _Now,_ the punch made more sense to him. He'd called her a kid when she was the same age as he is. No wonder he got punched. And what a punch it was …

_Damn it_, he thought. He looked back at her, partly annoyed at himself, and partly intrigued by her. Now, she didn't look so much like the junior-high school student he thought her to be. It was her face that made him think that. There was a mixture of maturity and innocence in her face which he found fascinating. And her large eyes … which were a deep sparkling shade of purple were shining in her face as she talked to Renji. They managed to stop the breath in his throat.

_She was … cute …_

"Ichigo, you already have a date with Inoue-san. Sure you wanna keep staring at Kuchiki-san, too?" Keigo asked him, a sly look on his face.

Ichigo glared at him. Flustered, he rubbed the back of his neck and bid his friends goodbye. Kaien, the captain of the soccer team, was huddling up with the rest of the team on the field. Renji made his way over to them from the other side of the field.

His vision, however, was still on the little black-haired girl who was walking away, Keigo's words still ringing in his ears.

It was Saturday evening. Orihime could talk about nothing else but her upcoming date 'til the end of the weekday. Rukia, who was enjoying high school in her own way, had to be reminded yet again that she and Renji were accompanying Orihime and Ichigo on their date. She had met Kaien two more times in advanced Calculus classes, although she didn't get a chance to speak to him. But he had smiled when he saw her and she'd smiled back, feeling happier than she should be.

Byakuya and Hisana were going out on a trip together and would be back only on Sunday evening. Rukia would have loved to tag along with them and get some rest and relaxation while her brother and sister went about their business. Unfortunately, she had promised Orihime.

So, stayed behind at the Kuchiki mansion, on her own, and caught up on her homework most of the day, finishing just in time for the – "date".

_Why the hell did I agree?_

Orihime was nervous; nail-biting-stress-inducing-panic-stricken kind of nervous. It was her first date ever and she was also going out with a boy she liked. She just felt so much pressure and wanted everything to go well.

She started with her wardrobe. Orihime dressed up in a light pink coloured top and a long skirt with patterns in white and pink which was a darker shade than her top. She combed out her hair until it shined and pinned it to the sides with the hairpins which were a present from her late brother.

She wore modest shoes and was satisfied with her appearance altogether. She bid goodbye to a photograph of her brother and went to meet Ichigo.

Ichigo had his signature scowl back in place, and perhaps this was a good thing, for it masked just how nervous he really was. He felt – unprepared. He didn't have a clue on how to behave on a first date. And the fact that he didn't even know the girl to a certain degree made him all the more nervous.

Anyway, he managed to make it to the amusement park and waited by the entrance for her to show up. The area was crowded as always. People walked in and out of the entrance, sometimes knocking into each other on their way, and most others clutching prizes and snacks and other items in their hands, as they walked out.

And he also noticed that there were a lot of couples here. Every second he stood there made him feel like some kind of an idiot. He and the word "couple" did not belong in the same sentence.

However, the next thing he saw made him jump.

_Jesus H Christ!_

Kuchiki Rukia was walking toward him along with his date, Inoue Orihime, and behind them was Abarai Renji, his soccer teammate.

_Just pretend you didn't see them and make a run for it_, said a panicked voice inside his head.

He stayed where he was.

When they reached him, a silence persisted. Ichigo was looking at Rukia, thinking about_ his_ mishap and _her_ punch; Orihime was looking at Ichigo, thinking about how handsome he looked in jeans and a tee shirt; Renji was looking at Ichigo wondering why he was staring at Rukia; and Rukia was looking at Ichigo – simply curious.

Ichigo didn't know why he felt his heart flutter at the sight of the raven-haired girl; all he knew was he _liked_ it. Not that he _understood_ it. He was too dense to realise why he was feeling happy to see her more than he was to see his date.

Finally, he looked at his date. He saw her smiling face and cheerful expression and had one thought:

_This is going to be so awkward …_

_**This chapter gave me a hard time. I still don't like it :( Watch wout for Double Date Part II. **_

_**Please review.**_


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